Advanced English 9

Ms. Engelke
Name: _________________________ Hour: _____

Flashback, Mood, Tone, and Symbols

FLASHBACK: a scene or portion of the story set in an earlier time; the narrator jumps back
in time.
Example: Rick is telling the reader about the baseball game in which hes presently

playing, and then he starts telling a story about the first time he ever played catch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MOOD: the general feeling or atmosphere in the story; the way the reader feels; the mood
could be happy, eerie, solemn, jubilant, etc.
Example: The children raced to the dock where they skidded to a halt, bouncing with

excitement as the boat sprayed them pulling up to the dock. They all laughed, soaked
with seawater as they clambered aboard and turned their faces up to the sun. The
mood here is bright and cheery; it evokes happiness in the reader.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TONE: the attitude of the writer; this differs from the mood in that it is what is projected by
the writer but not necessarily what is felt by the reader
Example: The adults were making a mess of everything; they always think they know

best when, in reality, theyre a bunch of hypocrites. The tone is judgmental and
disdainful.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SYMBOL: something used to signify something else; an object is assigned qualities other
than, or beyond, its literal meaning
Example: In How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Andie gives her new boyfriend a plant

which she dubs Love Fern. When the new boyfriend lets the fern wilt and die,
Andie perceives this as him letting their relationship wilt and die. She assigns the
plant qualities beyond its literal meaning; therefore, the fern is a symbol of their love.