1984 Tone

Words: 1839
Pages: 8

Mood is often used to describe emotions displayed by our fellow human beings, and tone usually meaning the way someone speaks; however these words hold slightly different meanings in the world of literature. Mood is the feeling a piece of literature arouses in the reader. Key words the author uses points the piece in the direction of a specific emotion. Tone is the writer’s attitude toward the audience or subject matter. This can be the same or different than the mood, but it always means the true feelings of the author toward what he is writing about. In the excerpt from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and the passage from 1984 by George Orwell, distinct diction is used to make the reader feel a certain way, but it also betrays the authors …show more content…
One of the largest similarities of both, that is reflected in their tone is both societies are dystopian civilizations with a despotic government. Both tones show signs of warning, as well as an ominous and cynical feel. Both authors seem to not have much hope for their poor protagonists. Orwell uses Winston’s betrayal of Julia to express that breaking of his will. He sets up the scene that if Winston has no will to protect Julia from carnivorous rats, he has no will to oppose the will of the party. The party had won, and he is surely not optimistic about the outcome. At the same time, Suzanne is cynical about the outcome of the Reaping. By describing nightmares children have and that the citizens are attempting to snatch every bit of shut eye before the terrible event, she shows that there is no easiness in the hearts of the people. Both of these excerpts use these points to express the cynical view of the authors towards the societies they have created. When it comes to mood, they share a bit of suspense in the scenes. Orwell uses suspense in phrases like, “O’brien picked up the cage, and, as he did so, pressed something in it. There was a sharp click. Winston made a frantic effort to tear himself loose from the chair...the cage was nearer; it was closing in. Winston heard a succession of shrill cries…” to set …show more content…
An exceptional writer can make a reader feel any certain way just using good diction and imagery. George Orwell and Suzanne Collins both accomplish this. You find yourself feeling a stipulated way despite your best efforts. When told about the forlorn position of our comrade Winston Smith, you find yourself filled with an insatiable curiosity to find out if he is strong enough to resist the parties cruel reign. Similarly, when faced with the perplexing foreshadowing given by Suzanne Collins, there is a need to know why there is so much darkness surrounding the scandalous Reaping. Tone; encompassing someone’s attitude toward a subject, and mood; a quality of feeling at any moment in time. These two components are two of the most vital cogs in a well oiled machine that is a hellacious piece of literature. George Orwell mastered these two techniques allowing his work to survive over 60 years as well as attribute many “Orwellian” references. William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens all the way to Edgar Allen Poe show incomparable artistry when it comes to mood and tone. The greatest works of literature ever written have admirably developed mood as well as tone. Without mood and tone, literature would be insipid and would undoubtedly be forgotten almost as quickly as it was