TONE

Tone
by Katelyn Williams

Tone is a writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward his or her readers and subject (Lunsford et al, 722). Tone is an important rhetorical situation, or circumstance that affects writing or other communication and it gives the author a voice in his or her writing (Lunsford et al, 718). Every author has his or her own perspective and attitude toward his or her topic; how he or she conveys this is a key element to good writing. It is entirely up to the writer and/or speaker to decide what tone will dictate his or her piece. The tone that he or she chooses should reflect his or her stance, or the mental or emotional position adopted with respect to something (Dictionary.com) on the topic. Tone can have many variations depending on what genre is being used and who the target audience is. It is important for tone to be utilized throughout a piece of writing.

How Tone is Conveyed

Tone is largely conveyed by the author’s word choice (Literary Devices). Different verbs and adjectives are used to create an overall attitude of the piece. The type of punctuation and author chooses also has an impact on the tone. Here are two examples to show how word choice and punctuation affect the tone:

''Stop! You are absolutely forbidden to go in that room''.

Please stop, it is preferred if you did not enter into the room.

Notice how both sentences have the same purpose; it is clear that the author wants the reader to understand that said room is off-limits. However, the first sentence has a more aggressive and angry tone. This attributes toward the word choice and punctuation usage. The use of “absolutely forbidden” and the exclamation point after the word “stop” convey this angrier-sounding tone. The second sentence has a more polite and passive tone due to words such as “please” and “preferred.”  These sentences are essentially the same however it is the tone that makes them different. It is also important to note that tone can be conveyed through the narrator of the story. For instance, in the above example, the tone would change based on who was actually narrating those lines in the story. A young child would pass a different tone than a middle-aged man, etc.

Tone and Stance

Tone is an important vehicle for an author to use in order to reflect his or her stance on a certain topic. Stance is strongly opinion based. It is where the author stands regarding his or her writing. In order for an author to get his or her point across, it is important to utilize tone to do so. This will let the reader know how the author specifically feels about his or her topic. For instance, look at the following example:

''“Abortion is a sin that perpetuates evil. The abortion mentality destroys the family by making it more difficult for new Americans who survive          beyond the womb to find the family welded together by the indissoluble bond of marriage solely between a man and a woman” (Mull).''

''“The case for pro-life despair has more than a few compelling points. First, there is abortion itself — the destruction of a human life, at its                most vulnerable stage, with the consent of the mother. In the United States, there are approximately 1.2 million abortions every year —                  more than 3,000 per day — according to the Guttmacher Institute” (Alvare).''

It is clear that in both of these excerpts, the authors do not show favor toward abortion. Therefore, in this case, the stances of these two authors are nearly the same; they are both pro-life advocates. However, each author took a different approach at conveying it; this was done through their tones. In the first excerpt, the tone is confronting and negative. This reflects on the author’s stance and causes the author to seem as though he feels strongly about abortion. The second excerpt contains mostly facts, and has an informative tone. The author’s stance is still clearly anti-abortion, however because of the informative, factual tone this author comes across as having a lighter stance on her opinions of abortion.

Variations of Tone

Tone is variable and can be different depending on the genre of the piece and the audience the piece is intended for. Genre is categorizations, ways of classifying things (Lunsford et al, 704). Genres can include narrative, informative, persuasive, analytic, etc. (Lunsford et al, 704). The tone will differ depending on which genre the author has chosen to utilize. For instance, if an author is writing a narrative piece, or a story that is told to make a point (Lunsford et al, 709), there are many different tones that can be used. It will be up to the author to decide what tone is necessary in order to get his or her point across to the reader. To further elaborate, if the writer is telling a story about someone dying, the tone should be somber and dreary to reflect the death. It would not make sense to use an upbeat tone when discussing a death. This would only confuse the reader.

Audience is also another factor that plays into the variations of tone. Audience is those to whom the text is directed—the people who read, listen to, or view the text (Lunsford et al, 697). The tone will change depending on who the author is directing his or her work towards. If he or she is writing a piece for a board of professors, the tone would be more formal. However, if the author is writing a story for a classroom of kindergartners, a less-formal and jovial tone may be chosen. It is important for the writer to correctly assess who his or her audience is and use a tone that will serve to collaborate with that particular audience. The correct tone is important in order for the audience to understand what the author is writing about.

The Importance of Tone

Tone conveys the author’s purpose. Every author has a reason for why he or she writes a piece. The tone that he or she chooses to use should make his or her point clear when all said and done. Without tone, it is impossible for the author to relay his or her opinions and/or information to the reader. Tone serves to tie all of the pieces of a work together and create one cohesive piece.

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References:

Alvare, Helen M., and Meg T. McDonnell. "Pro-life Movement Won't Stop Fighting Abortion." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Bavota, C. "Tone - Definition and Examples." Literary Devices. Literary Devices, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.

Lunsford, Andrea, Michal Brody, Lisa Ede, Beverly J. Moss, Carole Clark Papper, Keith Walters. Everyone’s and Author with Readings. New York:  Norton, 2013.

Mull, Geoffrey, and James Bascom. "10 Reasons Why Abortion Is Evil & Not a 'Pro-Choice'" TFP Student Action. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.