Purpose and Tone. Introduction. Any piece of communica5on that involves the wri<en word. 2/16/17. CHAPTER 8 Purpose and Tone

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1 8 and Introduction A text is Any piece of communica5on that involves the wri<en word. 1

2 Introduction There are many different types of texts, such as Nonfic5on: Wri5ng that is based in fact. Examples: News ar5cles, biographies, textbooks, essays Fic5on: Wri5ng that incorporates imaginary elements. Examples: Science Fic5on novels, short stories, graphic novels There is an author a person with thoughts, feelings, and opinions behind everything you read. Authors write from a personal point of view. That point of view is reflected in the purpose of a piece of writing to inform, to persuade, or to entertain and its tone the expression of attitude and feeling. 2

3 The author s reason for wri0ng is called the purpose of a selec5on. Here are three common purposes in writing: To inform to give information about a subject. Examples: textbook; business card To persuade to convince the reader to agree with the author s point of view on a subject. Examples: a flyer promoting an event; an ad To entertain to amuse and delight; to appeal to the reader s senses and imagination. Examples: a comic strip; People Magazine 3

4 What is the purpose of this meme? Compare/Contrast: Inform vs. Persuade PURPOSE: TO INFORM Emphasis is more on facts and/or data, rather than the desire to convince. Does not take a posi5on that is debatable, because content is based more on facts and data. Facts are present in order to deliver informa5on, rather than to convince. Examples: A recipe A car manual A news ar5cle about a recent earthquake PURPOSE: TO PERSUADE Author desires to convince the reader to agree with their point of view. Takes a posi5on that is debatable, meaning that someone could contradict the author s stance. Facts are present in order to make author s posi5on more convincing. Examples: An essay about the dangers of alcohol An adver5sement An album review 4

5 Which meme is designed to inform, and which one is designed to persuade? 1 2 How do you know the primary purpose of this meme? 5

6 How do you know the purpose of this meme? Often, the cover and the title of a book or article will suggest the author s main purpose. 6

7 2/16/17 What would you say is the primary purpose of each of these books? Primary purpose: Primary purpose: Primary purpose: A. to inform A. to inform A. to inform B. to persuade B. to persuade B. to persuade C. to entertain C. to entertain C. to entertain Read this paragraph and decide what the author s purpose is. Athletes should not earn millions of dollars a year. If they weren t paid so much, then tickets to sports events wouldn t have to be so expensive, and more people could enjoy sports more often. Also, more reasonable pay would make for better role models for young people, many of whom look up to sports figures. Primary purpose: A. to inform B. to persuade C. to entertain 7

8 Read this paragraph and decide what the author s purpose is. The bubonic plague, also called the Black Death, swept Europe, Asia, and Africa from 1346 to So deadly was this disease that it killed one-third of the population of these continents. The plague was spread by fleas infected with bacteria from diseased rats. When it resulted in pneumonia, coughing spread the bacteria directly through the air. Primary purpose: A. to inform B. to persuade C. to entertain Read this paragraph and decide what the author s purpose is. Men don t even notice 97 percent of the beauty efforts women make. For example, the average woman spends five thousand hours per year worrying about her fingernails. But I have never once, in more than forty years of listening to men talk about women, heard a man say, She has a nice set of fingernails! Many men would not notice if a woman had upward of four hands. Primary purpose: A. to inform B. to persuade C. to entertain 8

9 and A Note about Wri0ng with More Than One Sometimes, writing may blend two or even three purposes. In such cases, it s important to ask yourself what the primary purpose of the text is. A primary purpose is the main reason for a text. Secondary purposes may be present, but they do not take priority. Try to identify the primary, and secondary purposes of each of the following memes. persuade 9

10 and Which meme is primarily designed to inform, and which one is primarily designed to persuade? Primary purpose: Secondary purpose Primary purpose: Secondary purpose: How do you know the primary purpose of this meme? We know that the primary purpose of this meme is to inform because it presents information on how to use a technique used to calm anxiety called grounding. It s true that the sentence It can help you when you feel like you have lost all control.. and the request to reblog provide a secondary purpose of persuasion. However, as suggested by the larger text, Tip to help with an anxiety attack, the overarching purpose is to provide information. 10

11 How do you know the primary purpose of this meme? We know its primary purpose is to persuade because it is taking a position: that it is impossible for illegal immigrants to steal a job. It is strongly taking a position which can be debated or contradicted. While it does contain a graphic that is meant to entertain, that entertainment is not the meme s real focus or goal. The entertainment value is secondary: there to support the position that the author is taking. is a writer s a]tude toward his or her subject. 11

12 and vs. Topic A topic is The general subject of a piece of wri5ng. A topic is neutral: it doesn t display a par5cular feeling or a]tude. Examples of topics: Dogs School Flowers and vs. Topic is different from topic. While a topic is neutral and fairly obvious, such as dogs, you must look for clues which display a tone. A tone is not always neutral: you can take a neutral a]tude toward something, but you can also take a highly passionate a]tude toward something. Topic: the men s bathroom Neutral tone: The men s bathroom is at the end of the hall. Passionate tone: It is very unfair that men s bathrooms are consistently labeled and more convenient to access than women s bathrooms! 12

13 and vs. Topic To describe a tone, use adjec0ves. To name a topic, use nouns. and Example Topic: happy memories (neutral) : sweet, hopeful (displays an attitude or feeling) 13

14 and Example Topic: critics of the Black Lives Matter movement, who claim that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would never block a freeway. (neutral) : mocking and sarcastic. The meme creator has provided a picture of a 1965 march that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led, in which he blocked a roadway. The picture mocks critics and proves them wrong. (displays an attitude or feeling) is expressed through the words and details the writer selects. A writer s voice can project one or more tones, or feelings, such as: anger, respect, cheerfulness, disapproval, sadness, etc. 14

15 and Examples of tone: Statements made by employees of fastfood restaurants. I hate this job. The customers are rude, the managers are idiots, and the food smells like dog chow. (Topic: a job) (: bi<er, angry) I have no doubt that flipping burgers and toasting buns will prepare me for a top position on Wall Street. (Topic: a job) (: mocking, sarcas5c) I love working at Burger Barn. I meet interesting people, earn extra money, and get to eat all the chicken nuggets I want when I go on break. (Topic: a job) (: enthusias5c, posi5ve) and Remember that a writer s tone is different from his or her topic. For example, just because a sentence s topic is cheerfulness, that doesn t mean that the sentence itself has a cheerful tone. Topic: cheerfulness Sentence: A cheerful attitude is expected of all employees. : straightforward, neutral The author of the sentence is expressing a neutral attitude about cheerfulness. Topic: cheerfulness Sentence: If you re going to require all employees to be cheerful, then you must give them something to be cheerful about such as a safe and uplifting work environment. : critical, possibly sarcastic The author of the sentence seems to be questioning whether the expectation of cheerfulness is reasonable or not. Their choice to say that employees must be provided with a safe and uplifting work environment implies that perhaps this is not happening at their job, although their employer expects them to be cheerful. 15

16 Other Words include: ashamed doubtful praising worried playful disapproving respectful accepting conceited forgiving fearful cheerful loving joyous affectionate scornful ambivalent ironic instructive lighthearted objective informal scheming bewildered forgiving indignant arrogant impassioned bitter caring serious alarmed curious regretful sympathetic critical grateful encouraging threatening warm insulting humorous calming concerned amused compassionate sarcastic superior matter-of-fact reverent tolerant straightforward prideful despairing optimistic solemn hypocritical disbelieving sentimental appreciative admiring self-critical excited defensive tragic apologetic frightened approving self-pitying sorrowful alarmed cruel determined nostalgic suggestive Unfortunately, this car is a lot less reliable than I d like. A. angry B. disappointed C. humorous What is tone in this statement? It s not the greatest car in the world, but it usually takes me where I have to go. A. tolerant B. regretful C. cynical 16

17 Unfortunately, this car is a lot less reliable than I d like. A. angry B. disappointed C. humorous It s not the greatest car in the world, but it usually takes me where I have to go. A. tolerant B. regretful C. cynical What is tone in this statement? If car dealers weren t so dishonest, I wouldn t have bought this piece of junk for so much money. A. cheerful B. angry C. threatening and EXAMPLE (1)Laws should be passed to limit the personal wealth of overly rich Americans. (2)One percent of American families control more than 40 percent of the nation s wealth. (3)Many of them play and prosper while everyday folks struggle to survive. (4)More than three million Americans are homeless, and many poor children suffer from malnutrition. (5)Middle-class families, too, are affected by America s unequal distribution of wealth, with many parents unable to afford to send their children to college. (6)We must join the many ordinary, hard-working Americans all across the country that are speaking out in favor of a more just and appropriate system of distribution of wealth. (7)After all, the spoiled rich don t deserve to be rich. The topic of this passage is a. anger b. injustice c. confusion d. lawsuits 17

18 and EXAMPLE (1)Laws should be passed to limit the personal wealth of overly rich Americans. (2)One percent of American families control more than 40 percent of the nation s wealth. (3)Many of them play and prosper while everyday folks struggle to survive. (4)More than three million Americans are homeless, and many poor children suffer from malnutrition. (5)Middle-class families, too, are affected by America s unequal distribution of wealth, with many parents unable to afford to send their children to college. (6)We must join the many ordinary, hard-working Americans all across the country that are speaking out in favor of a more just and appropriate system of distribution of wealth. (7)After all, the spoiled rich don t deserve to be rich. The tone of this passage is a. angry and impassioned. b. neutral. c. critical but amused. d. ashamed and confused. A Note on Irony One commonly used tone is irony. 18

19 / A Note on Irony When writing has an ironic tone, it says one thing but means the opposite. What is said What is meant This is known as verbal irony. / A Note on Irony Verbal Irony For example, if the price tag on a shirt you like is double what you d expect, and you say: What a bargain you are using verbal irony. 19

20 / A Note on Irony Verbal Irony The words you have said are the opposite of what you really mean. What is said What a bargain. What is meant What a rip-off. / A Note on Irony Verbal Irony Here are two more examples of verbal irony: After sitting through the first session of what is clearly going to be a very boring class, you say to a classmate, I only hope I can stand all the excitement. After seeing your favorite basketball team play its worst game ever, you might comment, I knew they wouldn t disappoint me. Verbal irony is also known as sarcasm. 20

21 / A Note on Irony Irony also refers to situations in which what happens is the opposite of what we might expect. What is expected What actually happens This is known as irony of situation. / A Note on Irony Example: Irony of Situation Security cameras installed installed to stop crime were stolen during a robbery. What is expected What actually happens 21

22 / A Note on Irony Irony of Situation Here are two more examples of irony of situation: A doctor tells a man that he d better exercise if he wants to stay healthy. So the man begins jogging. One day while jogging across a street, he is hit by a truck and dies instantly. After being told they could never have children, a couple adopts a baby. A few months later, the wife becomes pregnant. and Slideshow Review In this chapter, you learned that part of effective reading is to do the following: Be aware of an author s purpose: the reason why he or she writes. Three common purposes are to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. Be aware of tone: the expression of the author s attitude and feeling about a topic. A topic is neutral, whereas a tone expresses a specific attitude. Topics are nouns, and tones are adjectives. One important tone to recognize is irony: saying one thing but meaning the opposite. 22