Tone and the Adjective

1. In public speaking, tone is often difficult to describe in words because words detach feelings from specific bodies and put them into language. Yet making this move is the only way we can actually talk about tone. Using adjectives is a typical way to translate the tones of the body into discussions. For this activity, find and watch a video online of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Make three columns on a piece of paper, labeled “Voice,” “Body,” and “Adjective.” As you watch the speech, describe what King does with his voice in the first column, record King’s gestures and mannerisms in the “Body” column, and list any adjectives you can think of that describe the things you notice in the third column. Compare your adjectives to those of a classmate. Are they similar? Are they dissimilar? How do you account for the similarities and dissimilarities of your adjectives?