The Story of My Life

by Helen Keller

The Story of My Life: Tone 1 key example

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
Chapter 1 
Explanation and Analysis:

Helen Keller uses an earnest and positive tone in The Story of My Life. She strives to accurately convey each event. Even when describing the most difficult situations, she tells the truth and tries to put her struggles in a positive light. Her hardships take up fewer pages than her triumphs. Sometimes, she even tries to minimize her challenges. For example, she front-loads a sentence in Chapter 1 with a simple explanation of her illness and then finishes it with a description of her house:

I lived, up to the time of the illness that deprived me of my sight and hearing, in a tiny house consisting of a large square room and a small one, in which the servant slept.