Unit 2 Non-Fiction

Mini-Lesson
Unit 2: Non-Fiction

Fiction
• is prose writing that tells about
imaginary characters and events.

Non-Fiction
• is prose writing that presents and explains
ideas or that tells about real people,
places, ideas, or events

ELEMENTS OF
*
NON-FICTION
• TONE: expresses an author’s attitude
toward the subject and the readers. It is
conveyed through choice of words and
details
• PERSPECTIVE: is the author’s point of
view on the subject, including the opinions
that the author expresses and the source of
the author’s information

PURPOSES OF
*
NON-FICTION
• to PERSUADE the reader
• to INFORM the reader of something
• to ENTERTAIN/HUMOR the reader
• to CALL the reader TO take ACTION
• to DESCRIBE something to the reader

Thesis Statement
*
Definition: A thesis statement controls the
subject matter of the essay and states
something significant to the reader. It is the
one statement that summarizes the main
point of the essay and states why the essay is
important and worth reading.
TOPIC + OPINION = THESIS

Tone & Mood
*
Tone and mood are NOT the same. The
tone of a piece of literature is the
speaker’s or narrator’s attitude towards
the subject or reader, rather than what
the reader feels, as in mood which is the
general feeling or atmosphere that a piece
of writing creates within the reader.

Tone
Definition: Tone is the attitude(s) toward
the subject and/or audience implied in a
literary work. Each piece of literature has
at least one theme (central idea or
message), the central question about a
topic, and how the theme is approached
within the work is known as the tone.
*
Example: A love letter to your high school crush might
have playful, sweet, and romantic tone, but a letter to
end the relationship with a significant other after having
found out that they were cheating on you behind your
back will have an serious, hateful, and angry tone.

Mood
Definition: Mood is an element in the narrative
structure of a piece of literature that can also be
referred to as atmosphere because it creates an
emotional setting for the reader. Mood is established
in order to affect the reader emotionally,
psychologically, and to provide a feeling for the
narrative.
*
Example: A love letter from a high school sweetheart
will evoke a warm and loving mood in the reader, but a
Facebook posting by a bully will bring forth a gloomy,
hopeless, uneasy, anxious, worried mood in the reader.

Development of Mood
*
Mood is produced most effectively through
the use of:
• SETTING
• THEME
• VOICE
• TONE

Literal Language
*
Definition: Refers to words that do
not deviate from their defined
meaning. A literal usage is the
“normal” meanings of the words.
Literal language means exactly what
it says.

Figurative Language *
Definition: Refers to words, and groups of
words, that exaggerate or alter the usual
meanings of the component words for effect.
Figurative language is the opposite of literal
language and means something different to (and
usually more than) what it says on the surface.
Example:
He ran fast. (literal)
He ran like the wind. (figurative)

Rhetoric
*
Definition: The art of written and
spoken communications, an art that
aims to improve the capability of
writers or speakers that attempt to
inform, persuade, or motivate
particular audiences in specific
situations.

Rhetorical Devices
*
Definition: A technique that an
author or speaker uses to convey to
the reader or listener a meaning
with the goal of persuading him
towards considering a topic from a
different perspective.

Types of Rhetorical Devices
• Rhetorical Question
• Repetition
• Anecdote
• Parallel Structure
• Imagery
• Irony
*

Rhetorical Question
*
A figure of speech in the form of a
question that is asked in order to
make a point. The question is posed
not to create a specific answer from
the reader or audience, but rather
encourage them to consider a
message or viewpoint.

*
Repetition
The reuse of the same words,
phrases, or ideas for rhetorical effect,
usually to emphasize a point.

Anecdote
*
A brief narrative of an interesting or
amusing incident, often intended to
illustrate an idea or make a point.

Parallel Structure
*
The balance within one or more
sentences of similar phrases or
clauses that have the same
grammatical structure.
Example:
“... and that government of the people, by
the people, for the people, shall not
perish from the earth.”
-Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

Imagery
*
A word or phrase representing that
which can be seen, touched, tasted,
smelled, or heard.
Example:
Sound imagery: He stepped softly onto
the creaking floor to avoid waking up his
parents.

*
Irony
The use of words to express
something different from and often
opposite to their literal meaning.

Types of Irony
*
• Verbal Irony
• Dramatic Irony
• Situational Irony

Verbal Irony
*
Definition: A specific type of irony in
which a person says one thing and
means another, or uses words to
convey a meaning that is opposite of
the literal meaning.

Dramatic Irony
*
Definition: This type of irony gives the
reader or audience an item of information
that at least one of the characters in the
narrative is unaware of, thus placing the
spectator a step ahead of at least one of the
characters.
Example:
Juliet is not actually dead when Romeo sees her
in the tomb in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo
& Juliet

Situational Irony
*
Definition: A situation where the
outcome is incongruous (out of place)
with what was expected.
Example: The ending of “Contents of
the Dead Man’s Pocket.”

*
WRITING STYLES
Formal vs. Informal

Informal Tone Writing Style *
• NOT allowed for academic work in this class, unless
told otherwise by Mr. Allice or a question directly
asks you about something.
• Allows the use of 1st & 2nd person point of view:
Pronouns “I” , “me” , “my” , “you” , “your” , “us” &
“we”.
• Contractions and abbreviations of words are allowed
to be used.
• Use of conversational words or “text talk” is okay
(e.g. kids, a lot, well, lol, omg, brb).

Formal Tone Writing Style *
A formal tone writing style helps establish the
writer's respect for the audience and suggests that
the writer is serious about his or her topic. It is the
kind of tone that educated people use when
communicating with other educated people. Most
academic writing uses a formal tone.