Purpose and Tone
An important part of reading critically is realizing that behind everything you
read is an author. This author is a person who has a reason for writing a
given piece and who works from a personal point of view. To fully
understand and evaluate what you read, you must recognize purpose – the
reason why the author writes. You must also be aware of tone – the
expression of the author’s attitude and feeling.
Purpose
Authors write with a reason in mind, and you can better evaluate what is
being said by determining what that reason is. The author’s reason for
writing is also called the purpose of a selection. There are three common
purposes for writing:
1. To Inform – to give objective information about a subject. Authors
with this purpose wish to provide facts that will explain or teach
something to readers.
Lou Gehrig’s disease causes the body to shut down while the
mind remains sharp and clear.
2. To Persuade – to convince the reader to agree with the author’s
subjective point of view on a subject. Authors with this purpose may
give facts, but their main goal is to argue or prove a point to readers.
Someone you know or love may die from Lou Gehrig’s disease unless a cure
is found, so make a generous donation to the Lou Gehrig ’s Disease
Foundation.
3. To Entertain – to amuse and delight; to appeal to the reader’s senses
and imagination. Authors with this purpose entertain in various ways,
such as exaggeration, in fiction and non-fiction.
In preparing the soil for planting, you will need several tools.
Dynamite would be a beautiful thing to use, but it would have a
tendency to get the dirt into the front-hall and track up the
stairs. —Robert Benchley, “Gardening Notes”
Directions: In the space provided, label each item according to its main
purpose: to Inform (I), to persuade (P), or to entertain (E).
Sentence Answer
1. As Americans have grown more health-conscious, the menus in school
cafeterias have begun to change.
2. Nurses assigned to intensive care units should be given shorter shifts
and higher pay because the work is unusually demanding and stressful.
3. It’s easy to quit smoking; I’ve done it hundreds of times.
4. More women should get involved in local politics and support the
growing number of female candidates for public office.
5. .The career of a professional athlete is usually quite short.
6. An artificial odor is added to natural gas so that people can tell whether
or not gas is leaking
7. Fred believes in a seafood diet: when he sees food, he eats it.
8. Shoparama has low, low prices, an outstanding selection of health and
beauty products, and a convenient location near you.
9. The best approach to take when you feel the urge to exercise is to lie
down quickly in a darkened room until the feeling goes away.
10. In ancient Egypt, priests plucked all the hair from their bodies, including
their eyebrows and eyelashes.
11. The world’s first ads were neither printed nor broadcast electronically;
they were vocal, called out by street peddlers promoting their wares.
12. Instead of nagging my father to lose weight, my mother bought him and
extra-large T-shirt imprinted with the message “This space for rent.”
13. It is senseless to kill an animal just for a fur coat that is no warmer than
the synthetic ones available today.
14. People should be allowed to use their home computers to vote in
elections.
Sentence Answer
15. The foundation of public education has always been reading, writing,
and arithmetic – the three “R’s.” Yet the schools insist that students
who have not mastered these fundamentals continue to take all the
other subjects as well. What good does it do for young people to sit in
on a history or science class if they can’t read or calculate well?
Schools ought to require students who are very far behind in the
fundamentals to devote all their time to the three R’s until they are at or
near grade level.
16. More and more elderly people are turning to shared housing as a way
to live more economically, more securely, and with more
companionship. There are dozens of such projects around the country,
including group homes in California, communes in Baltimore, and
“Share a Home” in Winter Park, Florida. While the last of these
includes 125 participants, a shared-housing project may involve only a
few members. Most shared housing projects have full- or part-time
help, but members often share in such chores as shopping for food and
cooking.
Tone
A writer’s tone reveals the attitude he or she has toward a subject. Tone is
expressed through the words and details the writer selects. Just as a
speaker’s voice can project a range of feelings, a writer’s voice can project
one or more tones, or feelings: anger, sympathy, hopefulness, sadness,
respect, dislike, and so on. An author chooses the words that make an
impact on the reader, words that will help the author convey the intended
purpose. Sometimes an author wants to appeal to reason and just give facts
and factual explanations. At other times, an author wants to appeal to
emotions and stir the reader to feel deeply.
So too can punctuation. Pay attention to the punctuation at the end of
sentences to understand what type of tone the author is projecting.
Understanding tone is, then, an important part of understanding what an
author has written.
To appreciate the differences in tone that writers can employ, read the
following versions of a murder confession.
1. “I just shot my husband five times in the chest with this .357
Magnum.” (Tone: matter-of-fact, objective)
2. “How could I ever have killed him? I just can’t believe I did that!”
(Tone: shocked, disbelieving)
3. “Oh, my God! I’ve murdered my husband. How can I ever be forgiven
for this dreadful deed?” (Tone: guilty, regretful)
4. “That dirty rat. He’s had it coming for years. I’m glad I finally had the
nerve to do it.” (Tone: revengeful, well-satisfied)
Below is a list of words commonly used to describe tone. Brief meanings are
given for any words that you might be unfamiliar with. Refer to these
meanings as needed to learn any words you don’t know yet.
Tone Words
Straightforward – direct, to the Ambivalent – uncertain; hesitant
point
Depressed – feeling “blue” or low
Arrogant – stuck-up; proud
Optimistic – predicting positive
haughty
results
Objective – not personally involved
Nostalgic – remembering fondly
Irreverent – lacking respect
Desperate – having lost hope
Subjective – personally involved
Angry – showing anger
Cynical – believing the worst
Grim – desolate; dismal
Serious – thoughtful; solemn;
Critical – judging harshly
somber
Realistic – true to life
Indignant – strongly opinionated
Cruel – fiercely unkind
Informal – casual; familiar
Conversational – talkative; chatty
Revengeful – unforgiving; spiteful
Fearful – scared
Bitter – showing contempt; angry
Ironic – contrary, not predicted
Malicious – mean; cruel
Unrealistic – not mindful of reality
Sorrowful – full of sadness
Detached – not interested; aloof Sentimental – showing tender
feelings
Anxious – worried
Excited – thrilled
Earnest – sincere
Forgiving – expressing pardon
Alarmed – fearful; apprehensive
Cheerful – glad; happy
Uncertain – doubting
Outspoken – direct in speech;
Tragic – extremely sad
candid
Incredulous – unwilling to accept
Joyous – feeling great happiness
Self-Pitying – focusing on your
Impassioned – filled with
troubles
conviction
Intense – deeply felt
Lighthearted – carefree
Disbelieving – doubtful
Remorseful – filled with regret or
Moralistic – trying to change or guilt
reform
Amused – entertained
Reassuring – calmly convincing
Outraged – indignant; offended;
Appreciative – expressing gratitude insulted
Surprised – amazed, astonished Humorous – witty; joking
Vindictive – wanting revenge Sarcastic – with double meaning
Regretful – sorry, remorseful Comical – laughable; funny
Zealous – obsessive enthusiasm Mocking – poking fun; ridiculing
Sympathetic – showing sensitivity Teasing – playful
to others
Scornful – disapproving
Tolerant – respectful
Righteous – morally correct
Compassionate – strongly
Melancholy – dejected; woebegone
sympathetic
Bewildered – puzzled; unclear
Loving – feeling tender affection
Let’s practice using some of the words.
A.
Directions: Below are five statements expressing different attitudes about a
shabby apartment. Five different tones are used. Fill in the blank for each
statement with the tone you think is present. Use each tone only once.
optimistic humorous sentimental
tolerant bitter
Sentence Selected Tone Word
This place may be shabby, but since both of
my children were born while we lived here, it
has a special place in my heart.
This isn’t the greatest apartment in the world,
but it’s not really that bad.
If only there were some decent jobs out there,
I wouldn’t be reduced to living in this
miserable dump.
This place does need some repairs, but I’m
sure the landlord will be making improvements
sometime soon.
When we move away, we’re planning to
release three hundred cockroaches and two
mice so we can leave the place exactly as we
found it.
B.
Directions: Each of the following passages illustrates one of the five different
tones identified below. In the space provided, write the tone word that
applies to each passage.
caring pessimistic self-mocking
critical admiring
Paragraph Add tone word
Whatever happened to the practice of saving up for what you
want? It seems nobody has that kind of patience any more.
Many Americans buy what they want when they want it and
worry about paying for it later. The average American spends
significantly more than he or she earns, much to the
enjoyment of the credit card companies. Apparently people
need to reach a financial crisis before they realize that it’s
downright stupid to neglect to balance their budgets and to
save for a rainy day.
Machines are complete mysteries to me, and this has resulted
in some embarrassing services calls at my home. For
example, there was the time I called in a repairman because
our refrigerator was too warm. Imagine my humiliation when
he told me that the cause of the problem was a dirty filter,
which I didn’t know existed and therefore hadn’t cleaned even
once in the two years we owned the refrigerator. The best
example of my brilliance with machines, however, has to be
the time I called for someone to fix my washing machine. The
repairman’s solution was simply to put the plug back in the
outlet, from which it had been jarred loose by the constant
vibration of the washer.
I think Tina Turner is a terrific role model for anyone who
thinks he or she cannot overcome obstacles early in life.
Turner grew up in poverty, survived an abusive marriage, and
dealt with dishonest business associates early in her career.
Many people might have just given up at any point along the
way. But Turner had the determination and inner strength to
go it alone. Doing it her way, she first became a superstar
when she was in her 40’s, when she finally received the
money, the acclaim, and the respect she always deserved but
Paragraph Add tone word
had been deprived of. Not only is Turner talented and tough-
minded; she has proved that beauty and sex appeal can be
ageless. Way to go, Tina!
Research on rats show that when animals live in crowded
conditions they live disorderly, violent lives. Humans are no
different. Crowded inner cities are models of lawlessness; the
crowded highways of Los Angeles encourage aggression by
drivers, and even shootings. As our urban areas continue to
grow in population density, these types of problems will surely
also grow. That means more family violence and more fighting
over available resources. The American dream will become
just that—only a dream.
Those addicted to drugs and alcohol probably feel terrible
about themselves—even if they don’t show it—and harsh
judgments only worsen their self–image. What these people
need are programs to help rid themselves of their addictions.
It is also important that we all open our hearts and minds to
these troubled people. Their addiction does not make them
any less “children of God,” nor does it mean that they deserve
to be stripped of the dignity that is the birthright of every
human being. We must strive to create an environment of
hope and help for those who so desperately need it.
