Justin Franklin

Per.2

Poe

SHORT PASSAGES FOR DISCUSSION
Begin practicing the analysis of tone by using short passages that use a specific device such as Diction, Images, Details, Language or Sentence Structure to convey tone. Suggest what tone words you would use to describe the speaker's attitude. .

During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher...I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn that lay in unruffled luster by the dwelling...vacant and eye-like windows.

Diction such as dull, soundless, and melancholy offers the connotation of sadness, darkness, and loneliness. These words help reinforce the tone because the way that the author uses these words makes you feel down, sad, gloomy, etc.

Details such as vacant, passing alone, and I had been passing along, offers the connotation of being in a vacant area, alone, during the autumn of the year. These words help to reinforce the tone because they give you a real feel for when and where the action is taking place.

Imagery such as oppressively low, heavens, and singularly dreary, offers the connotation of being in a low, heaven like, dreary area.These words help to reinforce the tone because they use images to help display the writers tone of being down, sad, and gloomy.

Syntax such as during, when, and in the offers the connotation of helping the sentences sound better, and be more grammatically correct. These words help to reinforce the tone of the sentence with correct grammar.