Final answer:
The tone of Jeff Gundy's essay 'hum' illustrates the writer's attitude through conversational language, rhetorical questions, and selective word choice, which invite the reader to engage with the text on a deeper emotional level.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tone of Jeff Gundy's essay "hum" can be understood as the attitude or mood he conveys throughout his writing. It is a crucial element that dictates the reader's emotional response to the essay's subject matter. Through the use of various literary devices, including word choice and rhetorical questions, Gundy effectively establishes and manipulates this tone.
For example, the use of rhetorical questions and phrases like "Let's look at" often create a conversational tone, inviting the reader into a dialogue with the author. Similarly, when a speaker in a poem uses words that suggest something is being disclosed or divulged, the tone may shift to become more inquisitive, as demonstrated through the questioning tone in lines like "-or was it the coldness?-". These shifts in tone can guide the reader’s perceptions and encourage deeper engagement with the text.
In poetry and prose alike, word choice is essential in establishing tone. An author might choose words like "joyful" instead of "happy" or "seething" instead of "angry" to convey nuanced emotions and set a specific tone. The tone can also be influenced by the type of narration used, such as a dark and scathing tone versus a dreamlike and happy tone, as seen in the contrasting examples of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Ultimately, the tone of a literary work is conveyed not only by the language but also by other elements such as pacing, imagery, and punctuation, all working in tandem to evoke a particular atmosphere or attitude. In Jeff Gundy's "hum," the tone plays a key role in shaping the reader’s experience of the essay.