Jennifer Clagett

SML 521

Web Drop In #4

Mood and Tone

Introduction:

Mood and Tone are two important elements in a literary work. We will work continuously with these terms throughout the semester, so it is important that you have a good understanding of how they work. In this activity you will define the terms and look at two very different takes on Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven."

But first...

Study the two images below. In your journals describe how the pictures are different. What kind of feeling do you get from looking at them? What different emotions and attitudes do they portray. Does one or the other have a distinct positive or negative feel? What do you think the photos are trying to express?

Activity:

1. Using the Literary Element's list, read the descriptions of tone and mood. What is the difference between the two? Write your answer on a sheet of paper.

http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/literary_elements.htm

2. Now read Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven." What sense of mood do you get from this poem? What words and images help to establish this? What is the author's tone in this piece? Are the mood and the tone similar or different? Give examples from the poem. Write your answers in complete sentences.

http://poestories.com/read/raven

3. Now watch the Simpson's version of "The Raven." What feeling were you left with after watching this? In what ways does the sense of mood shift? Give examples of how the writers changed the tone of the piece. Write your answers in complete sentences.

http://vodpod.com/watch/1304748-the-raven-on-the-simpsons

4. Compare both versions of "The Raven." Which one did you like better? Why? How do the differences in tone and mood create a change in meaning? For example, what do you think Poe is trying to tell the reader in his poem? What are the writer's of the Simpsons trying to tell you? Give examples from each.