Question

Read the excerpt from "surrendering" by ocean vuong. through the headset, a robust male voice surged forth, emptying into my body. the man’s inflections made me think of waves on a sea. between his sentences, a crowdâ€"i imagined thousandsâ€"roared and applauded. i imagined their heads shifting in an endless flow. his voice must possess the power of a moon, i thought, something beyond my grasp, my little life. how does the diction affect the tone of the excerpt? the positive connotation creates an appreciative tone. the academic language creates an informative tone. the colloquialisms create an informal tone. the formal language creates a respectful tone.

Answer 1

The diction in Ocean Vuong's "Surrendering" creates an appreciative tone through positive connotations and formal language that invoke the narrator's admiration toward the speaker's voice.

Step-by-step explanation:

The diction in the excerpt from "Surrendering" by Ocean Vuong affects the tone by using language that evokes a sense of awe and admiration for the speaker's voice, thus creating an appreciative tone. The positive connotation of words like "robust," "surged," and "power" reflects the narrator's esteem for the voice that is described almost like a natural force, powerful and mesmerizing. The comparison of the voice to waves on the sea and the power of the moon further contributes to this appreciative tone. The language is neither highly academic nor colloquial, but there's a formal quality to it that suggests respect. Through the use of descriptive and evocative language, the reader can sense the narrator's admiration and profound response to the speaker's voice.

Answer 2

Answer: Option C is the right answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Why? Because connotative diction can be used by an author to evoke specific emotions in his/her audience. Those emotions lead the reader to understand the tone or the attitude the author has toward his/her subject. Diction is one of the strongest indicators of tone and therefore, very useful in style analysis.