THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE AND

VOICE:
Recognizing the differences between them is both important and difficult. This
is because the differences are subtle and almost similar to an untrained eye.
TONE
This is the writer’s attitude that is expressed in writing ( the way a writer or
character speaks in the poem).
MOOD
This is the feeling that the reader gets from the writing (it is the way a poem
makes you, the reader, feel).
ATMOSPHERE
This is the overall feeling created from the emotions and feelings created by the
character and how these feelings and emotions will reflect on the reader (the
way a place or setting makes you, the reader, feel).
NOTE:
Notice that while the ‘tone’ is more concerned with the production of the text
(the writer and characters), ‘mood’ and ‘atmosphere’ depend largely on the
reception of the text (the reader).
So if your task is to analyze the ‘mood and atmosphere ‘ of a poem, the first
thing you should ask yourself is – how do you feel after reading a passage?
Write it down like bored, excited, disgusted, intrigued, etc.
The difference between ‘mood’ and ‘atmosphere’ hinges on a poem or piece of
writing and place or setting, but both are about how they make you – the reader
– feel.
‘Atmosphere’ comes under ‘mood’, because it concerns how places and settings
make us feel, while ‘mood’ is about how the passage or text as a whole creates a
certain feeling and a passage in its entirety often includes more than just places
and settings, but also characters and themes.
So perhaps it is more helpful to think of these as ‘atmosphere and mood’ as we
often need to ascertain he atmosphere of a specific scene or setting before we
can determine the mood of the whole passage or poem.
Here is an example to illustrate:
The moment I stepped foot into the cavernous hall, I felt the onslaught of
innumerable eyeballs, as droplets of sweat travelled down the bridge of my
nose, cushioning themselves in my quivering philtrum while my stomach tied up
in knots. All at once, the walls seemed to close in on me; the glaring light of the
projector in the distance made a menacing search of my face. I felt the stage
slipping away in that instant, my feet levitating and my head woozy as I
sauntered over to the podium. Why did I decide to do this in the first place?

‘I’ am paralysed by stage-fright, and my tone is clearly nervous, intimidated,

and incredulous about having agreed to deliver a speech in front of a crowd.

But to the reader, the mood conveyed is suspenseful and anxiety-inducing, as

we want to find out if the character manages to overcome her fear, or if she
passes out before she even makes it to the podium.

From the descriptions of the wider scene about the hall, we see that
the atmosphere is oppressive, overwhelming, and to an
extent, suffocating (from all the lights and stares).

You will notice, then, that the words for the ‘tone’, ‘mood’ and ‘atmosphere’ of
this moment are all slightly different, but meaningfully so.