Wednesday, April 1 - Rhetoric - Tone/Point of View

The author's tone is the attitude the author takes - it can be light and funny or it can be serious and formal. Think of how you speak. Your tone of voice can convey a lot - whether you're upset or sad or joking. And author conveys this tone with words. Look at the author's word choice - it will tell you a lot about how the author is feeling. Does the author use happy words? Angry words? Sad words?

This is closely tied to the author's point of view - how the author feels about what they are writing. Clues to the author's point of view can also be found it word choice and who the author's intended audience for their writing. Understanding the author's point of view can help you identify biases, think critically about what you are reading and better understand the material.