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Mood/Tone Mini-Lesson

We all know that the word mood can be used to describe a persons emotional state of being. This word is also used when discussing literature and art to describe the overall feeling of the work. In this exercise, we will analyze movie trailers to gain an understanding of mood to prepare for similar analysis of Midsummer. 1. The Woman in Black How do you feel when you watch this trailer? What characteristics of the trailer make you feel that way? Write down 1-3 words that describe its mood. 2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close How do you feel when you watch this trailer? What characteristics of the trailer make you feel that way? Write down 1-3 words that describe its mood.

Although both describe a general attitude or feeling, tone and mood are distinct concepts. While mood describes the overall feeling of the work, tone describes the way in which the writer or artist expresses him/herself. Please read the following quotations and answer the questions about tone. 1. The day I went into physics class it was death. A short dark man with a high, lisping voice, named Mr. Manzi, stood in front of the class in a tight blue suit holding a little wooden ball. He put the ball on a steep grooved slide and let it run down to the bottom. Then he started talking about let a equal acceleration and let t equal time and suddenly he was scribbling letters and numbers and equals signs all over the tiny blackboard and my mind went dead. Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar What subject matter is this narrator, Esther, discussing? How does she feel about it? How does she present this opinion? Choose 1-3 words to describe her tone. 2. I had an amazing feeling when I finally held the mix tape in my hand. I just thought to myself that in the palm of my hand, there was this one tape that had all of the memories and feelings and great joy and sadness. Right there in the palm of my hand. And I thought about how many people have loved these songs. And how many people got through a lot of bad times because of those songs. And how many people enjoyed good times with those songs. And how much those songs really mean. Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower What subject matter is this narrator, Charlie, discussing? How does he feel about it? How does he present his opinion? Choose 1-3 words to describe his tone.