IB English A Lit Topic Unpacking Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere Revision Notes (SL/HL)

IB English A Lit Topic Unpacking Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere Revision Notes (SL/HL) | RevisionDojo

Written by official IB examiners

Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere Are Distinct but Connected

Let’s say your friend texts you:
> “k. whatever.”
You know they’re mad, even if they didn’t say it directly. That’s tone.
Now imagine how you feel reading that message. Annoyed? Uneasy? Confused? That’s mood.
Now imagine you’re reading it at 2am, alone, after a fight, with no reply for hours. That’s atmosphere.

Tone is About Attitude

Definition

Tone

The writer’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

Tone is how the writer comes across. Serious? Mocking? Grateful? Bitter?
Writers show tone through:
1. Word choice: “cheap” vs “affordable”
2. Sentence structure: Short, snappy = urgent. Long, winding = reflective.
3. Figurative language: Metaphors, irony, exaggeration
You’re hearing the writer’s voice through writing.

Example

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the tone is often satirical, exposing the absurdities of totalitarian regimes.

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Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit.

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere Are Distinct but Connected

Let’s say your friend texts you:
> “k. whatever.”
You know they’re mad, even if they didn’t say it directly. That’s tone.
Now imagine how you feel reading that message. Annoyed? Uneasy? Confused? That’s mood.
Now imagine you’re reading it at 2am, alone, after a fight, with no reply for hours. That’s atmosphere.

Tone is About Attitude

Definition

Tone

The writer’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

Tone is how the writer comes across. Serious? Mocking? Grateful? Bitter?
Writers show tone through:
1. Word choice: “cheap” vs “affordable”
2. Sentence structure: Short, snappy = urgent. Long, winding = reflective.
3. Figurative language: Metaphors, irony, exaggeration
You’re hearing the writer’s voice through writing.

Example

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the tone is often satirical, exposing the absurdities of totalitarian regimes.

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Everything You Need to Know About Analysis5 subtopics

Paper 1 Lit4 subtopics

Paper 2 Lit4 subtopics

Individual Oral (IO)4 subtopics

Higher Level Essay (HLE)3 subtopics

IB English A Lit Unpacking Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere Notes

Everything You Need to Know About Analysis5 subtopics

Paper 1 Lit4 subtopics

Paper 2 Lit4 subtopics

Individual Oral (IO)4 subtopics

Higher Level Essay (HLE)3 subtopics

Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere Are Distinct but Connected

Tone is About Attitude

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere Are Distinct but Connected

Tone is About Attitude

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account