Aim: How can an exploration of writers’ choices, and the literary devices used, introduce us to the concept of “voice” as it’s used in writing?
Do Now: Describe all that comes to mind when you think of pizza? Write a paragraph describing pizza and showing your attitude toward it. You will come back to this later!
During the first few minutes of class, we were asked to describe pizza in our own words, and through our writing, we had to convey our attitude towards pizza as well. After completing the lesson, we came back to the do now to discuss our answers to the prompt. During the discussion, students provided vivid descriptions of pizza, as well as their experiences or thoughts about it. One of my peers mentioned how pizza was versatile, that it could be “flimsy” or “cheesy”, yet it could also be “crispy” or “firm”. Pizza comes in different styles, types and flavors. Despite these differences, every pizza brings about a euphoric feeling for the consumer, like a child walking into a candy shop. Another classmate explained how pizza reminded them of their favorite pizzeria. They mentioned that although pizza may seem “basic” at first, every person views it in a different way, which is something truly special.
Writer’s Voice: The Elements
After we completed the do now, we learned about diction, syntax, imagery, and tone. These components of a text are essential in developing the writer’s voice, which is the author’s unique style of expression. Writer’s voice gives life to a text; it provides insight on the author’s emotions or opinions towards a certain subject. Observing the diction, syntax, tone and imagery of a text can help us deduce the writer’s voice, as well as help us gain a deeper understanding of the message the author is attempting to convey.
Diction: The writer or speaker’s usage and choice of words. Diction can be divided into two categories: vocabulary and syntax. In this case, vocabulary refers to the complexity, difficulty, formality, origin, as well as the abstractness of the words used.
Syntax: The arrangement of the words in a sentence. This word can also be used to refer to the complexity or fragmentation of words within a sentence’s structure.
Imagery: This term can refer to the language a writer uses to paint an image in the reader’s mind or to convey a sensory experience. It also encompasses the use of figurative language, which is often included to clearly express abstract thoughts or ideas in a unique, creative way.
Tone: The author’s attitude towards a specific topic or the reader.
Enrichment:
Diction: AP English Language: Introduction to Diction - YouTube
Syntax: AP English Language: Introduction to Syntax - YouTube
Imagery: Imagery (Literary Device) - YouTube
Tone: AP English Language: Tone - YouTube
(Although some of the videos are geared towards AP English students, I felt that they were very informative, well-made and detailed, so I included them in this list)
Writer’s Voice: Making Observations and Forming Inferences
After learning about the definitions of these terms, we then began to scour through short texts to observe how these literary elements were used, and what conclusions we could draw about the speaker based on our observations. We analyzed the first text as a class, and then completed the rest of the activity in groups. Afterwards, we came together and discussed our findings amongst each other.
Speaker 1: "Eating pizza is rather like embarking on a transcontinental excursion. You embark on the journey without being quite certain of what you will encounter. A well-made pizza contains the aromatic essence of fresh basil, oregano, and garlic that beckons invitingly. Once you bite into a perfectly sliced piece of pizza, your taste buds awaken and celebrate. When properly prepared, pizza is an extraordinary culinary creation."
Diction: We noticed that the speaker spoke in a formal tone. They used advanced vocabulary words and were very descriptive. For instance, the speaker says that “Eating pizza is rather like embarking on a transcontinental excursion”. Words such as “embarking” or “transcontinental” show that the speaker is well versed in English and understands how to properly use these words within a sentence. In addition, the speaker makes a comparison between eating pizza and a transcontinental excursion, which also shows that they understand how to convey their thoughts in detail.
Syntax: The sentences are long and complex. The speaker mentions, “When properly prepared, pizza is an extraordinary culinary creation”. In other words, well made pizza is best. However, by using advanced vocabulary, an introductory phrase as well as an independent clause, the speaker is not only able to convey their ideas to an audience, but they are able to elaborate on their thoughts as well.
Imagery: The speaker utilizes descriptive language to portray their ideas. A few examples would include sentences such as “Once you bite into a perfectly sliced piece of pizza, your taste buds awaken and celebrate” or “A well-made pizza contains the aromatic essence of fresh basil, oregano, and garlic that beckons invitingly”. Phrases like “your taste buds awaken and celebrate” or “the aromatic essence of fresh basil, oregano and garlic” appeals to the reader’s sense of taste and smell, as they vividly describe the aroma and taste of pizza.
Tone: It is evident that the speaker is passionate about pizza. They use words or phrases such as “extraordinary” and “embarking on a transcontinental excursion” to express that eating pizza is a remarkable experience.
Inferences: Based on the information we had collected, we were able to draw a few conclusions. First, we inferred that the speaker has a positive attitude towards pizza. Based on the detailed descriptions given, we were also able to deduce that the speaker is knowledgeable about how pizza is made. In addition, due to the speaker’s vocabulary and sentence structure, we believed that the speaker was an adult, as it is unlikely that a child would speak so formally.
Speaker 2: “It’s yummy. I like it when the cheese is really gooey. My mom makes it for dinner on the weekends. When it’s too hot, I have to wait for it to cool. Mom says if I don’t wait I will burn my tongue. I like the way pizza smells. When I smell pizza cooking it always makes me want to eat it right up!”
Diction: The speaker’s tone is informal and their vocabulary is very simple. For example, they use words such as “yummy” or “gooey”, which are terms that are more appropriate in casual speech than in formal writing.
Syntax: The sentences are simple and short. They state a simple thought without further explanation. For instance, the speaker says, “I like the way pizza smells”; however, they do not elaborate much on this idea.
Imagery: The speaker does not use descriptive words or literary devices, which are meant to help the reader to vividly imagine or experience an image or sensation. For example, the speaker says “it’s yummy” to describe the taste of pizza, but this sentence lacks the detail necessary for the reader to understand the sensory experience that the speaker is feeling.
Tone: We concluded that the speaker has a positive attitude towards pizza, and that they enjoy it very much. We can see this within phrases such as “When I smell pizza cooking it always makes me want to eat it right up!”, which shows the speaker’s love for the smell, and by extension, the pizza itself.
Inferences: Based on the speaker’s word choice, we inferred that he or she was a child younger than ten years old. In addition, the speaker’s enthusiasm and excitement towards pizza shows that they enjoy it.
Speaker 3: “As long as not one speck of gross disgusting animal flesh comes anywhere near my pizza, I can eat it. I prefer pizza with mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach. Goat cheese is especially nice too. A thin whole-wheat crust topped with imported cheese and organic vegetables makes a satisfying meal.”
Diction: We noticed that the speaker’s tone was both formal and informal, since the speaker uses informal words like “gross” to describe animal flesh. However, they also use formal terms such as “imported”.
Syntax: Some sentences are long and developed, while others are shorter. The longer sentences are more complex, since they provide description and more information about the speaker’s preferences. For instance, the speaker notes that, “A thin whole-wheat crust topped with imported cheese and organic vegetables makes a satisfying meal.” We can see that this sentence is descriptive, explaining the kind of pizza the speaker enjoys.
Imagery: Some examples of imagery that we found include phrases such as “one speck of gross disgusting animal flesh” or “a thin whole-wheat crust topped with imported cheese and organic vegetables”. Besides these fragments of text, it seems that the speaker did not use imagery as much.
Tone: “As long as not one speck of gross disgusting animal flesh comes anywhere near my pizza, I can eat it...A thin whole-wheat crust topped with imported cheese and organic vegetables makes a satisfying meal”. This shows that the speaker is serious about the way they like their pizza, but nonetheless, they still have a love for the food.
Inferences: I inferred that the speaker was a teenager or young adult, since they are more formal and seem to know how to convey their ideas in well-developed sentences, but their tone is informal at times and some sentences are less complex. The speaker also describes animal flesh to be “gross” or “disgusting”. From this, we assumed that the speaker was a vegetarian. I thought that the speaker was also finicky because they seemed very concerned about how their pizza should be made, as well as what toppings should be added.
Speaker 4: “Pizza is, like, one of the basic food groups, right? I mean, dude, who doesn’t eat pizza? Me and my friends order it like every day. We usually get pepperoni, and it’s great when they are, like, covering the whole top! Dude, hot steamy pizza dripping with cheese and loaded with pepperoni is awesome.”
Diction: The speaker’s tone is informal, as they use words such as “dude” or they use “like” unnecessarily.
Syntax: The sentences are long and simple.
Imagery: In comparison to some of the other speakers, this speaker did not seem to use imagery as often in their writing. However, in the last sentence, they said, “Dude, hot steamy pizza dripping with cheese and loaded with pepperoni is awesome.” Phrases like “dripping with cheese” or “loaded with pepperoni” provide the reader with an idea of what the pizza looks like, but the speaker does not dive any further into this description to make this visualization clearer.
Tone: We were able to realize that the speaker also had an enthusiastic, positive attitude towards pizza. The speaker uses words such as “awesome”, and mentions how often they eat pizza with their friends. Therefore, based on these positive remarks, it is evident that the speaker is also a lover of pizza.
Inferences: The speaker’s informal tone as well as their lack of imagery helped us conclude that the speaker was most likely a teenager. Typically, teenagers will use slang in their speech, and they may not be as proficient in describing a sensory experience.
Reflection:
Today’s lesson has taught me that a writer’s voice is greatly influenced by factors such as diction, syntax, tone and imagery. A writer’s voice, or their style of expression, can also help us form inferences about the author, such as their age or opinion about a certain topic. As a result, these inferences further help us gain a deeper understanding of the text. I believe that this lesson was meant to express the significance of an author’s writing style, and the major role it plays in shaping a text. This lesson has shown me that in addition to analyzing the content of a work, we must also carefully observe the writer’s style, word choice, description and tone, as these factors are just as capable of providing us information about the passage. I will use what I have learned from this lesson by continuing to observe the style of a speaker or writer, and try to understand how it contributes to the message they convey. Moreover, I will also use what I have learned to try to find my own voice in my writing.
Extra Materials:
What is writer's voice? - YouTube
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