Mood vs. Tone

We are currently examining mood but will soon look at tone.  Both terms affect each other.

Authors set a TONE or MOOD in literature by conveying an emotion or emotions through words. The way a person feels about an idea, event, or another person can be quickly determined through facial expressions, gestures and in the tone of voice used.

 MOOD: (sometimes called atmosphere) the overall feeling of the work Mood is the emotions that you (the reader) feel while you are reading. Some literature makes you feel sad, others joyful, still others, angry. The main purpose for some poems is to set a mood. Writers use many devices to create mood, including images, dialogue, setting, and plot. Often a writer creates a mood at the beginning of the story and continues it to the end. However, sometimes the mood changes because of the plot or changes in characters.

Examples of MOODS include: suspenseful, joyful, depressing, excited, anxious, angry, sad, tense, lonely, suspicious, frightened, disgusted

 TONE: the way feelings are expressed Tone is the attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the subject, or the character.

Tone is conveyed through the author's words and details. Use context clues to help determine the tone.

In literature an author sets the tone through words.
The possible tones are as boundless as the number of possible emotions a human being can have. Has anyone ever said to you, "Don't use that tone of voice with me?" Your tone can change the meaning of what you say. Tone can turn a statement like, " You're a big help!" into a genuine compliment or a cruel sarcastic remark. It depends on the context of the story.