Setting and Mood

​Setting and Mood

​What is mood?

All of us have moods. Your mood is your overall feeling at a certain time. Think about your mood right now. Overall, do you feel annoyed? worried? happy?

Multiple Choice

People often use adjectives, or describing words, to identify a mood.

Which adjective best describes this man's mood?

• delighted

• angry

• calm

Multiple Select

Which of the following examples shows a negative mood?

• It was noon, but dark clouds were rolling in. Suddenly, the wind turned cold.

• Peter shivered as lightning flashed across the black sky and thunder boomed.

• The sun soon broke through the clouds. Peter felt the warmth of its rays.

​Here's a more formal definition of mood: the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader.

Multiple Choice

Stuart and his family sat glued to their seats in anxious anticipation. They could hardly believe that Anna had been chosen to be a contestant on a reality show! Anna had made it to the final elimination. Would she win? Stuart nervously tapped his foot. "Shhh, everybody!" his father urged. "The show's about to start." The room fell quiet as everyone eyed the TV.

Select the words that best describe the mood.

• scary and dangerous

• exciting and suspenseful

• comfortable and relaxed

• tense and angry

​Writers want to show certain moods in their stories. Often, they do so by carefully describing the setting. The setting refers to the time and place of the story's action.

Multiple Choice

Princess Rose lived in a magnificent castle high in the mountains. This morning, she and her father, the king, strolled through the sunny countryside and marveled at the beautiful landscape. The colorful flowers waved in the light breeze, and the birds chirped happily as father and daughter sauntered around the bend.

What mood does this description help to create?

• scary

• pleasant

• mysterious

• funny

​You've just looked at a castle in one setting. Here's a castle in another setting. Notice how the differences in the setting help to create a dramatically different mood.

Multiple Choice

Grida stumbled as he trudged wearily around the side of the gray mountain. The rain pounded him like thick, icy nails. As he looked up, the sight in front of him twisted his stomach into a knot. His heart pounded like a hammer in his chest: Dagon's castle!

Which words best describe the mood here?

• sad and angry

• happy and warm

• comfortable and cheerful

• spooky and forbidding

​Maria and Jan worked in the brightly lit room. Their model of the solar system sat majestically on the table. It was sure to win at the science fair!

​Jan's mother drove through the blinding rain. Hearing the rumbling thunder, she thought, "How can we keep that science project dry in this soaker?"

​When the setting changes, the mood can change. Words that describe the setting help create, or set, the mood. The mood in the first paragraph is happy. The mood in the second paragraph is gloomy.

​Not every detail in a passage contributes to the overall mood. As a reader, though, it's important to note all the setting details. Often, they work together to set a mood.

Multiple Choice

As he entered the apartment, Dwayne shook the snow from his coat. He realized that the apartment was dark. The sound of soft, smooth jazz music drifted soothingly to his ears from an old, beat-up stereo. What was going on?

Which detail creates a romantic mood?

• the snow on Dwayne's coat

• smooth jazz music

• an old, beat-up stereo

​Think about the settings described earlier—the lush landscape enjoyed by Princess Rose and the dreaded castle towering above Grida. The writers used imagery—words that appeal to your five senses—to make the settings seem life-like.

​The steady drip, drip, drip of the faucet almost hypnotized me. (hearing)

​The piercing odor of the onion made tears come to my eyes. (smell)

​Notice how imagery is used to help you more clearly imagine details of setting.

​Imagery helps create or set a mood. As you've seen, imagery also makes the setting more interesting and believable.

Multiple Choice

Dana and Chris entered the circus tent. They brushed the sawdust from their seats and sat down as other people came in. When the audience settled down and voices died down to a whisper, the clowns began their act. One by one, six neon-colored clowns climbed into the ring from a tiny, polka-dotted car. Each wore a flexible costume that ballooned out as he or she came into view. Each clown that emerged from the car was larger than the last. Everyone burst into laughter!

Which image creates a light-hearted mood?

• the feel of the sawdust

• the quiet audience

• the look of the clowns

​Summary

​

​Mood is the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader.

​

The setting (time and place) of a story can help create a mood.​

​

Imagery—words that appeal to your sight, smell, taste, touch, or hearing—can also contribute to the mood of a story.​

Multiple Choice

The ship bobbed up and down, back and forth, in the stormy sea. Waves crashed over its sides again and again. Some crew members struggled to take down the sails, which flapped uncontrollably in the high wind. Others worked on deck, furiously bailing water over the side to keep the ship afloat.

The setting of this passage creates a mood of—

• peacefulness

• dreaminess

• anger

• wildness

Multiple Choice

Which example of imagery would help create a somber, or sad, mood?

• Paint peeled from the walls of the silent, empty playroom.

• The roses on the table filled the kitchen with a sweet smell.

• Cool, clear water bubbled up from the secret spring.

• A warm breeze blew along the sunny beach.

Multiple Choice

It was a new morning. Kathleen got out of bed and stretched as she walked to the window. She looked down at the young, green trees surrounding the garden below. The sun had just come up. The sky was blue, and the air was fresh. Kathleen said to herself, "On a day like this, I'm ready for anything!"

Which detail of the setting does NOT add to the cheerful mood of this passage?

• the new morning

• Kathleen's bed

• the young, green trees

• the blue sky and fresh air

Multiple Choice

The old house was creaking loudly that night. Shadows of tree branches stretched across the walls of Brandon's room like the fingers of an alien hand. He stared at them for a moment. Then, with a shudder, he hid his head under the covers.

Which word best captures the overall mood of this passage?

• humorous

• peaceful

• angry

• frightening

Multiple Choice

The bells in the old tower continued to echo through the rainy morning. Their ringing sounded like shouts of "Guilty!" to Leah."If only they would stop!" she thought wildly. She pressed her hands to her ears, trying to block out the sound. It seemed, however, that the bells were growing louder than ever! Leah suddenly screamed, "Someone help me—please!"

The mood of the selection is created through the image of—

• the look of the tower

• the feel of the rain

• the sound of the bells

• the feel of Leah's hands