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 crowd—I imagined thousands—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 the excerpt from 'Surrendering' by Ocean Vuong creates an appreciative and respectful tone through the use of positive and thoughtful language, portraying the speaker's voice as powerful and awe-inspiring.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the excerpt from "Surrendering" by Ocean Vuong, the diction creates a tone that is both appreciative and respectful. The narrator expresses admiration using words with positive connotations like 'robust', 'surged', 'waves', 'sea', 'roared', 'applauded', and 'power'. This language conveys a sense of awe and reverence towards the speaker's voice and its effect on the audience.

Additionally, the choice of words such as 'robust' and 'inflections' indicates a sense of careful observation and thoughtfulness, contributing to the respectful tone towards the subject matter. The use of such diction does not align with colloquialisms or a solely informative academic language; instead, it merges appreciation with formality to shape the tone.

The mood developed through the diction invites readers to share in the narrator's veneration of the speaker's voice. The speaker is likened to a celestial body—the moon—emphasizing the powerful impact the voice has on the narrator and illustrating how diction in poetry can establish a connection between the reader and the poem.