Tone
Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.
Pygmalion Example: In act four, Eliza and Higgins get in a nasty fight. At the end of the scene, Higgins gets in the last word and storms away: “HIGGINS: [formally] Damn Mrs. Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished MY hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe. [He goes out with impressive decorum, and spoils it by slamming the door savagely.]” Shaw uses strong words such as “damn”, “heartless guttersnipe”, “slamming”, and “savagely” to establish Higgins’ tone as livid towards Eliza. |