Tone

Tone

Knowing the sound of the words enables you to consider the speaker’s tone. 
  • Is the speaker sarcastic? Humorous? Serious and formal? Bitter? Wise? Mean?  How do you know?
Whether alliteration, onomatopoeia, or consonance, all sounds may be one of following...

A.  cacophony (short, aggressive, harsh or cacophonous).  Hard consonant sounds (b, d, t, etc.) have a percussive effect. 

These sounds indicate fear, disgust, or distress.

  • Georgie Porgie puddin' and pie. Kissed the girls and made them cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away. ~Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme

  • We want no parlay with you and your grisly gang who work your wicked will. ~ Winston Churchill

B.  euphony (soft, sweet and soothing, euphonius). Soft consonants (l, m, r, n) and vowels are calming and relaxing.

  • Golden slumbers kiss your eyes
    Smiles awake you when you rise
    Sleep pretty darling, do not cry
    And I will sing a lullaby 
    The Beatles "Golden Slumbers"
  • I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore
    I hear it in the deep heart's core.
    W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)

Self-Assessment

Read "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell and determine the song's tone.


Big Yellow Taxi

     Joni Mitchell (1943-  )

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot SPOT
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

The alliteration of p in "Big Yellow Taxi" is cacophonous or harsh. This suggests the speaker is angry about urban sprawl.


Self-Assessment

Click here to practice finding tone in poetry.

   Go to Assignment 3-2 and complete Section 1 now.



   If you have any questions, contact your teacher.