REACTIONS UNIT 2A
The tone of a reading passage is often determined by the author's choice of words, and reflects his or her attitude towards a subject. For example, if somebody says, "This is a ridiculous idea," that person would have a condescending tone or attitude. On the other hand, if somebody says, "This is an excellent idea," that person has an admiring attitude. Of course, in a long passage, the author may express several different attitudes towards several subjects.
How many of these words describing attitude do you know? Which ones are positive? Which ones are negative? Can you add any more?
| skeptical | optimistic | frustrated | negative | judgemental |
| pessimistic | critical | admonishing | indifferent | annoyed |
| guarded | sympathetic | approving | threatening | encouraging |
When a piece of writing expresses a positive or negative feeling, we
say that it has, in general, a subjective tone.However, it is important
to note that not all writing expresses a positive or negative feeling.
The tone of this kind of writing is called objective, and does not
express the writer's opinions or feelings. Compare the following two sentences:
which one is subjective and which one is objective?
* "Her paintings were black."
* "Her paintings were a sullen black."
Finally, when you read, try to be aware of the author's attitude through
his or her choice of words. It will help you think more critically about
what the author is saying.
ANSWERS TO COMPREHENSION CHECK
| 1. F-4 | 4. F-6 | 7. T-14 | 10. T-12 | 13. F-30 |
| 2. F-2 | 5. F-6 | 8. F-8 | 11. T-13 | 14. T-30/32 |
| 3. T-35 | 6.T-7 | 9. T-10 | 12. T-28 | 15. F-33 |
MORE QUESTIONS ...
1. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage? Who do you think the intended audience is?
2. What is the principal underlying rhetorical focus in this passage (e.g. description, narration, definition, classification, etc.)? How do you know?
3. How is the passage organized? (What would a descriptive outline of
this passage look like?)
Can you think of a different way to organize it?
4. What is the author's attitude towards students? How do you know? (Hint: look at some of the vocabulary he uses.)
Suggested Activity: After reading "College Pressures," create a survey questionnaire or interview questions to find out from American students which pressure they think is strongest. It might also be interesting to find out if they can identify other kinds of pressures, and if any pressures are benficial or detrimental to them. After you collect information, compare and discuss your findings in groups. Are the pressures American students feel similar to or different from yours? In what ways? Why?