Lesson: Writer’s Voice- Exploring “Voice” Through Pizza
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: QUICKWRITE
We were assigned to write out the first things that came to our minds when we thought of pizza and what pizzeria we thought was the best. Everyone wrote one paragraph for the do now and then we left our responses for a share out later.
The class proceeded to do a spirit reading defining the definitions of:
Diction- A speaker’s (or author’s) word choice. This term may also refer to the general type or character of language used in speech or in a work of literature. Diction is typically divided into two components: vocabulary and syntax. By vocabulary, we mean the degree of difficulty, complexity, abstractness, formality as well as the origin of words chosen (native or foreign, Latinate or Germanic, and so forth).
Syntax: Refers to the arrangement – the ordering, grouping and placement of words within a sentence. The meaning of this term can also extend to encompass such things as the degree of complexity or fragmentation within these arrangements. Syntax is a component of grammar but not a synonym for grammar. For example, the sentences, “I rode across the meadow” and “Across the meadow I rode” exhibit different syntax but identical vocabulary. To replace “meadow” with “sea of grass” is to alter the vocabulary but not the syntax. To say “Rode I across the sea of grass” is to use diction different from “I rode across the meadow”. The combination of unusual syntax and vocabulary in the first sentence as opposed to the second is a feature that often differentiates poetic diction from that of prose.
Imagery: A term used to refer to: 1) the actual language that a writer uses to convey a visual picture or representation of a sensory experience; and 2) the use of figures of speech, often to express abstract ideas in a vivid and innovative way. Imagery of this second type makes use of such devices as simile, personification, and metonymy, among others. Imagery is a central component of almost all imaginative literature and is often said to be the chief element in poetry. Two major types of imagery exist – the literal and the figurative. Literal imagery is purely descriptive while figurative may call to mind real things that can be perceived by the senses, but it does so as a way of describing something else- often some abstract idea that cannot be literally or directly described. Whether literal or figurative, however, imagery is generally intended to make whatever the author is describing concrete in the reader’s mind, to give it some tangible or real existence rather than a purely intellectual one. Imagery also provides the reader with a sense of vividness and immediacy.
Tone: The attitude of the author toward the reader or the subject matter of a literary work. An author’s tone may be serious, playful, mocking, angry, commanding, apologetic and so forth.
CLASS DISCUSSION:
The class read Speaker 1’s statement to determine what inferences we could draw based on the Speaker’s tone, diction, syntax, and imagery.
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."
Inferences About the Speaker:
My team collectively came to the conclusion that the speaker was most likely older than 18 years old due to the sophisticated structuring and mature phrasing of their statements.
Diction:
*NOTE: Diction sounds similar to the word dictionary and can be related back to it*
Natalia brought up the fact that the speaker’s technique and way of “speech” seemed more structured and Katherine added that the phrasing definitely seemed more formal.
Syntax:
The class discussed that the sentences seemed long and detailed with complex composition
Imagery:
*NOTE: Sensory details are details that tap into your senses*
The class discussed that phrases such as “aromatic”, “that beckons invitingly”, and “taste buds awaken” were all examples of excellent imagery and sensory details.
Tone:
Lastly, for the tone, we concluded that based on the tone the speaker was providing in their writing, it was safe to say that they had a strong love and passion for pizza.
*IMPORTANT NOTICE: For teams to effectively work as a unit, they must learn to work COLLABORATIVELY.
Toward the end of the class we began to read about Speakers 2-4’s thoughts on pizza but did not get to reach the class discussion before the bell rang and class was over.
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