Connect Across the Curriculum, continued
Literary Analysis: Analyze Mood and Tone
Academic Vocabulary

  • • discuss (di-skus) verb When you discuss something, you talk about it.

All writing has a mood and tone. The mood of a text is the feeling you get when you read it. For example, the mood of a story may make you feel happy, scared, curious, excited, sad, optimistic, or angry. The tone of a text is the author’s attitude toward the topic. For example, the author’s attitude might be serious, playful, respectful, positive, humorous, or bitter.

Practice Together

Read this excerpt from “The Scattered Stars.”

One night, when they stopped, Ko-tci-man-yo climbed up to a hill where no one could see her, and then she untied the many knots to take just one small look inside. But when she loosened the last knot, the bag popped open and bright things began to escape to the sky.

Notice how the writer chooses words that set a certain mood. The girl didn’t just look in the bag. She took “just one small look.” And the bag didn’t just open. It “popped open.” These words give the writing a mood of childlike wonder.

Now think about the tone, or how the author feels about the characters and the topic. This writer has a respectful tone as he explains reasons for Ko-tci-man-yo’s actions.

Try It!

Analyze Another Myth With a partner, choose another myth. Discuss the mood and the tone of the text. Then discuss how the author communicates this mood and tone. Compare your ideas with your classmates’ ideas. Do you agree on the mood and tone?