How To Analyze Tone: A Class Model (per. 5)

In the article "Rising Tides", Bob Herbert attempts to persuade his readers that global warming is here and is something we need to take seriously. To do this, Herbert uses language with strong connotations. For example, Herbert writes, "It's February and it's cold in New York, which can help us maintain the fiction that the planet is not warming at a scary rate." The word fiction has a negative connotation. It means that something is fake or based on imagination rather than reality. Herbert uses this word in order to create an angry or mocking tone. Thus, Herbert's diction creates a highly charged, or emotional tone which is meant to persuade his readers to believe in his argument. Because of his highly emotional language, Herbert creates a persuasive argument that his readers should take action to combat global warming.


California State Standards:
Reading 1.2
Distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of words and interpret the connotative power of words.

Reading 2.8
Evaluate the credibility of an author's argument or defense of a claim by critiquing the relationship between generalizations and evidence, the comprehensiveness of evidence, and the way in which the author's intent affects the structure and tone of the text.