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Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis:
Despite touching on difficult topics such as climate change, food scarcity, and the dangers of capitalism, the book's tone is predominantly hopeful. Kimmerer insists that despair paralyzes us, so it is important to find small ways we can all help make a better world. To that end, she includes not only her ideas about how to foster connection with the earth, but also bits of humor. She often punctuates a serious passage with a bit of verbal irony, such as when she lightly mocks her students for their impatience during the Thanksgiving Address.
This tone seems partly inspired by Indigenous language itself. In Chapter 6, Kimmerer describes trying to learn Potawatomi and hearing elders laughing when they speak the language to each other. She learns that this laughter is part of the language as much as any noun or verb:
As Stewart King, a knowledge keeper and great teacher, reminds us, the Creator meant for us to laugh, so humor is deliberately built into the syntax.
Kimmerer may not speak Potawatomi well, but she has nonetheless inherited the cultural idea that "the Creator meant for us to laugh." She punctuates serious moments in the book with humor not only to keep the reader's hopes up, but also to convey a joyful sense of the humor that is part of the ancestral culture she hopes to honor. This book is as much a celebration of the natural world and Indigenous wisdom as it is a lament that the dominant American culture needs to change.
Related Themes:
