Through our exercise on p. 234-235, you had the opportunity to practice both controlling tone/voice and perceiving it in the writing of another.  Now, let’s try that with an actual piece of writing – a short one – Application Essay 2 (misconceptions).

        1) Have a peer reader read your essay and summarize the tone in a word or phrase: happy, friendly, serious, cynical, ambivalent, etc.

        2) Look at how your essay was perceived.  Then answer the following questions at the end of your Essay 2 rough draft:

            a) Was that the tone you intended? 

            b) Do you even agree with the tone your reader thought he/she heard? 

            c) What word would you use for your own tone?

        3) Now, rewrite Essay 2 immediately after your first rough draft and the answers to the preceding questions, this time creating an entirely different tone to your essay.  For example, if your original tone was friendly, rewrite it now as serious; if it was serious, make it humorous; if it was bland, make it intense.  You get the idea.

        4) Having completed this new draft, answer the following questions after the draft:

            a) Which version do you like better?  Why?

            b) What exactly did you do to change the tone/voice of the second draft?  Be specific.

        5) When done, have both drafts and your answers checked/turned in.