M1 Lesson 12

M1 Lesson 12

The Millers Tale

Poll

Which picture do you think is the miller from what we have learned about him?

Explore language and tone in “The Miller’s Tale” by looking at specific character descriptions and performing the Readers’ Theater.

What does tone mean?

Open Ended

What does tone mean?

Tone: is the attitude of a writer towards a subject/audience and is conveyed through choice of words or viewpoint.

Tone

• The author’s choice of language reveals the tone in his or her writing.

• The word tone can mean the feeling or attitude the author expresses.

• The tone might be formal, informal, serious, playful, sad, or rowdy.

• Tone shows the writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject and the audience.

What is the tone of ‘The Miller’s Tale’?

Think about his story and how he speaks in the text...

Open Ended

What is the tone of ‘The Miller’s Tale’?

Open Ended

Alison: “She was as pert and as pretty as a squirrel up in a tree”

Allison

• Pretty

• Young

• Lots of energy

The Millers Tone to Allison:

A noble man like the Knight might you more elegant (nicer) comparisons, however, the Miller compares her to a squirrel.

Open Ended

Oswald: “knowing he wasn’t the prettiest duck on the pond” (18)

Open Ended

Absalom: “Now he stood brandishing it like the Devil with his pitchfork” (22)

How would the Knight describe those characters?

The Knight might say...

• Allison is like an angel instead of a squirrel.

• Oswald is the prettiest swan or peacock instead of a duck.

• Absalom with a sword instead of pitchfork.

What are figures of speech, and how do they work to show character and convey tone?

What is a simile? What is a metaphor?

Simile

a simile states that something is like or as something else.

ex: She’s as cute as a button.

He’s as nutty as a fruitcake.

Metaphor

A metaphor describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.

Ex: Bob is a couch potato.

Love is a battlefield.

Multiple Choice

Alison: “She was as pert and as pretty as a squirrel up in a tree”

• Simile

• Metaphor

Multiple Choice

Absalom: “Now he stood brandishing it like the Devil with his pitchfork” (22)

• Simile

• Metaphor

Multiple Choice

Oswald: “knowing he wasn’t the prettiest duck on the pond” (18)

• Simile

• Metaphor

Open Ended

Create your own metaphor about the Knight or Miller using describing words as something.... The Knight is a ______. The Miller is a _______.

Open Ended

Create your own simile about the Knight or Miller using describing words as something.... The Knight is like a ______. The Miller is like a _______.