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Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Key Examples in How it Feels to be Colored Me
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
Hurston's tone in "How it Feels to be Colored Me" is honest and often matter-of-fact, complementing the short length of the essay and Hurston's hopeful though defiant mood. Hurston makes use of metaphor to deepen her analysis of racial discrimination and its personal influence on her life and the lives of others, but she keeps it concise and outside the realm of traditional, more lofty philosophy. Hurston writes with confidence, consistently using active verbs in the present to establish a tone that is accessible to the average reader, yet also to be taken seriously:
I am not tragically colored [...] I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored [...] But in the main, I feel like a brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall.
Related Themes:
