8 purpose and tone. chapter 8 purpose and tone there is an author—a person with thoughts,...

8

Purpose and Tone

CHAPTER 8 Purpose and Tone

There is an author—a person with thoughts, feelings, and opinions—behind everything you read.

the purpose of a piece of writing—to inform, to persuade, or to entertain—

Authors write from a personal point of view. That point of view is reflected in

its tone—the expression of attitude and feeling.and


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The purpose of this cartoon, like all cartoons, is to entertain.


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Can you tell what the tone of each speaker is? Which one is sincere in what he says? Which is insincere?


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The boss is insincere. If he decided to fire the worker, he most likely is not sorry. He doesn’t know if the worker will “land on his feet” and find another job.


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The boss is insincere.

The worker, on the other hand, is sincere in his anger at being fired and his wish that he could stomp on his ex-boss’s chest.


Purpose

The author’s reason for writing

the purpose of a selection

is called


Purpose

Here are three common purposes in writing:

To inform

To persuade

To entertain

—to give information about a subject.

—to convince the reader to agree with the author’s point of view on a subject. —to amuse and delight; to appeal to

the reader’s senses and imagination.


Purpose

A. to inform B. to persuade C. to entertain

Read this paragraph and decide what the author’s purpose is.

Primary purpose:

Each Saturday morning, TV commercials advertise fast foods and high-calorie cereals directly to children. These ads teach children unhealthy eating habits and have been linked to childhood obesity. Parents must realize how harmful such commercials are and should pressure companies to stop marketing unhealthy products to children.


Purpose

Primary purpose:

Each Saturday morning, TV commercials advertise fast foods and high-calorie cereals directly to children. These ads teach children unhealthy eating habits and have been linked to childhood obesity. Parents must realize how harmful such commercials are and should pressure companies to stop marketing unhealthy products to children.


The writer’s purpose is to persuade the audience that parents should protest the marketing of unhealthy products to children. Words such as must and should are meant to convince us rather than to inform us.


Purpose


What is the author’s purpose in this paragraph?

Primary purpose:

About 113 billion people have lived and died in the history of our planet, according to scientific estimates. Of all these people, the names of about 7 billion, or approximately 6 percent, are recorded in some way—on monuments or in books, manuscripts, and public records. The other 106 billion people are gone without a trace.


Purpose

Primary purpose:

About 113 billion people have lived and died in the history of our planet, according to scientific estimates. Of all these people, the names of about 7 billion, or approximately 6 percent, are recorded in some way—on monuments or in books, manuscripts, and public records. The other 106 billion people are gone without a trace.


The purpose is to inform. The author is simply providing readers with information about the people who have lived and died on Earth.


Purpose


What is the author’s purpose in this paragraph?

Primary purpose:

Because of the war between his medium-size shirts and pants and his extra- large-size body, my brother has made a commitment to only three meals a day. His definition of a meal, however, is as broad as his belly. If we spot a pretzel salesman or a hot-dog stand on our way to a restaurant, for example, he is not beyond suggesting that we stop. “It’ll make a good appetizer,” he says.


Purpose

Primary purpose:

Because of the war between his medium-size shirts and pants and his extra- large-size body, my brother has made a commitment to only three meals a day. His definition of a meal, however, is as broad as his belly. If we spot a pretzel salesman or a hot-dog stand on our way to a restaurant, for example, he is not beyond suggesting that we stop. “It’ll make a good appetizer,” he says.

B. to persuade C. to entertain

The playful and exaggerated details tell us the author’s main goal is to entertain with humor.

A. to inform


Purpose

A Note about Writing with More Than One Purpose

Sometimes, writing may blend two or even three purposes.


Tone

a writer’s attitude toward his or her

subject

Tone

is


Tone

Tone is expressed through the words and details the writer selects.

A writer’s voice can project one or more tones, or feelings, such as


Tone

AngerCheerfulness

RespectAnger


Tone

“I just shot my husband five times in the chest with this .357 Magnum.”

Three examples of tone: Statements made by a person confessing to murder.

(Tone: matter-of-fact, objective)

(Tone: shocked, disbelieving)

“That dirty rat. He’s had it coming for years. I’m glad I finally had the nerve to do it.”

(Tone: revengeful, self-satisfied)

“How could I ever have killed him? I just can’t believe I did that!”


Tone

A Note on Irony

One commonly used tone is irony.


Tone

When writing has an ironic tone, it says one thing but means the opposite.

What is saidWhat is meant

/ A Note on Irony

This is known as verbal irony.


Tone/ A Note on Irony

“I feel terrific today.”

Verbal Irony

For example, if you’re suffering from the flu and someone asks how you feel, and you say:

you are using verbal irony.



“I feel terrific today.”

“I feel lousy today.”

What is said

What is meant

Verbal Irony

The words you have saidare the opposite

of what you really mean.



Here are two more examples of verbal irony:

While standing in a long, slow line at a supermarket or bank, you might say to people in line with you, “My, this is exciting.”

If a friend arrives at your place two hours late, you might say, “Well, thanks for showing up on time.”

Verbal irony is also known as sarcasm.

Verbal Irony



Irony also refers to situations in which what happens is the opposite of what we might expect.

What is expected

What actuallyhappens

This is known as irony of situation.



What is expected

Whatactually happens

Example:

Security cameras installed stolen during a robbery.were

Irony of Situation

installed to stop crime



Irony of Situation

Here are two more examples of irony of situation:

Albert Einstein, one of the century’s most brilliant scientists, did poorly in school.

An instructor at a health club smokes a cigarette during lunch break.



Can you explain the irony in this cartoon?

GRAND AVENUE © 2002 Steve Breen and Mike Thompson. Reprinted by permission of UNIVERSAL UCLICK for UFS. All rights reserved.

The irony is that the little girl herself is completely self-absorbed. She shows no interest in the people around her and is concerned only about their paying attention to her new hair style.

8 purpose and tone. chapter 8 purpose and tone there is an author—a person with thoughts,...

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