Setting tone

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

Diction and syntax often dictate what the author's (or character's) mood is at the time. In example: "Charlie surveyed the classroom of dolts, congratulating himself for snatching the higher test grade, the smug smirk on his face growing brighter and brighter as he confirmed the rest's inferiority."

The tone here is one of obvious arrogance, references to Charlie's classmates as "dolts" or as "the rest" shows Charlie's belief in his own prowess. The words "surveyed" and "congratulating himself" shows Charlie seeing himself better than the rest of his class. The diction of the words "snatching" gives the reader a mental picture of someone quickly and effortlessly grabbing something, which proves once again Charlie's pride in himself. Characteristically, of course, the "smug smirk" provides a facial imagery of Charlie's pride.

In addition, using imagery in a poem is helpful to develop a poem's tone.