English 101B/Prof.

Hurley
Paper # 2: Style and Tone
30 points possible

Deadlines are listed on the course blog.

Length: 5 pages minimum plus a Works Cited page

Topic: In a well-developed essay with plenty of textual evidence, compare and contrast the
style (the way the writer uses language) and tone (the feeling or mood created by the style) of
two of the following stories:
“A Temporary Matter,” “The Overcoat,” “Soldier’s Home,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Lady
With Lapdog,” “A Man-to-Be,” and “Boys.”
Please do not write about a story that you wrote about in Paper #1.

When analyzing style and tone, consider the author’s choices in:
-narrative voice/diction: How would you describe the voice that is narrating the story
(objective? distant? intimate? formal? conversational? mocking? intrusive? ironic?)? What kind
of language does the narrator use (high-level diction? everyday language? slang?)? What
feeling or mood does the narrator’s voice create?
-narrative distance: How close is the narrator to the action? Do you get the sense of the
narrator looking down from above, or being right there with the characters? In turn, how close
do you feel to the action?
-pacing: Does the writer take his or her time, or is there a hurried feeling to the writing?
-imagery: How much does the writer rely on description using the five senses? Is one sense
emphasized over the others?
-level of detail: Think about what the author chooses to describe and what he or she leaves out.
Also, think about how detailed the author’s descriptions are. Is the writer focusing in on small
things? You might also consider whether the writer uses a lot of adjectives and adverbs.
-figurative language: Does the author employ similes, metaphors, or personification?
-the use of dialogue: How much dialogue is there? What function does the dialogue serve?
-paragraph and sentences: How long are the paragraphs and sentences? How complicated are
the sentences? What effect does this produce?
-repetition: Does the writer repeat certain words or phrases? To what effect?
-punctuation: Does the writer use punctuation in a unique way? Is he or she creating a certain
effect with the use of punctuation?

You might also ask yourself: if the author’s style could be compared to something (a room, a
type of day, a car, a person), what would it be?

Again, it is crucial to illustrate your points with specific examples from the stories. However
much support you think you need, double it!

Please use proper MLA format and documentation for this paper and include a correctly
formatted Works Cited page at the end. If you need to review MLA, go to:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/