Skill Exercise: Determining Tone and Mood in a Passage

A. Read the two passages below and answer the given questions.
Passage 1:
Jessica walked slowly through the hallway. Come out, come out, wherever
you are! she yelled. Since the room was dark, she had to feel around for the
doorknob to the dining room. As her hand closed around the cool brass knob, she
gave it a firm twist to the right, opening the door to the dining hall with a satisfying
bang. The long table was illuminated by a stream of moonlight from a large bay
window to her right, allowing her to see enough to enter the room. She giggled with
nervousness as she took a few steps forward, stopping short at the sight of
something shadowy moving in the corner.
Passage 2:
Jessica crept along the darkened hallway. She was conscious of a faint whistling
noise as she groped the wall in front of her for the door knob that she knew was
there, but couldnt seem to find her fear. Finally, her hand closed around the brass
knob. She attempted to twist the knob open, but the thin layer of sweat on her palm
prevented her from getting the solid grip she needed. Finally, the decrepit wooden
door swung inward with a groan, unveiling the dim glow of a single moonlit window
on the dining room table. Jessica tentatively moved into the room, but suddenly she
saw a human-sized shadow move in the corner of the room- she grasped and cried
out, Whos there?
1. Vocabulary:
Give the meaning of words through context clues:
a. They yelled in chorus, their voices sharp and shrill.
b. The film was shot in a decrepit, old house.
c. The steps of the old house groaned under my weight.
2. Compare and Contrast
a. How does Jessicas action differ in these two passages?
b. Compare her feelings in these two passages.
3. Passage 1:
What word identifies the mood of this passage?
Copy the sentence in the passage that connects somehow to the
word you chose.
Explain how the word and your sentence connect?
What word identifies the tone of this passage?
Copy the sentence that supports your answer?
Explain your answer.
4. Passage 2:
What word identifies the mood in passage 2?
Copy the sentence that supports your answer.
Pick out words from the text that explain the connection of the word
and the sentence you chose.
What word identifies the tone of this passage?
Copy the sentence that supports your answer.
Explain your answer.

GUERNICA-

a mural by Pablo Picasso. It was painted in

1937.

Analysis about the Mural:

Questions:
a. Describe what you see in this mural?
b. What word can you use to determine the mood or the atmosphere of this
mural?
c. What word could you use to describe the tone or the attitude of the author of
this mural?
d. How did you come to this conclusion?
e. What theory do you have about the meaning of this mural?

Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals,
particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a
perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of
peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour,
becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to
the world's attention.
This work is seen as an amalgamation of pastoral and epic styles. The discarding of
color intensifies the drama, producing a reportage quality as in a photographic record.
Guernica is blue, black and white, 3.5 metre (11 ft) tall and 7.8 metre (25.6 ft) wide, a
mural-size canvas painted in oil. This painting can be seen in the Museo Reina Sofia in
Madrid.
Interpretations of Guernica vary widely and contradict one another. This extends, for
example, to the mural's two dominant elements: the bull and the horse. Art historian
Patricia Failing said, "The bull and the horse are important characters in Spanish
culture. Picasso himself certainly used these characters to play many different roles
over time. This has made the task of interpreting the specific meaning of the bull and
the horse very tough. Their relationship is a kind of ballet that was conceived in a variety
of ways throughout Picasso's career."