Setting tone

Authors set a Tone in literature by conveying emotions/feelings through words. The way a person feels about an idea/concept, event, or another person can be quickly determined through facial expressions, gestures and in the tone of voice used. In literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" , and therefore the academic study of literature is known as Letters...

 an author sets the tone through words. The possible tones are bounded only by the number of possible emotion

Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Emotions are subjective experiences, often associated with mood, temperament, personality, and disposition. The English word 'emotion' is derived from the French word émouvoir...

s a human being can have.

Diction

Diction

Diction, in its original, primary meaning, refers to the writer's or the speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression. A secondary, common meaning of "diction" is more precisely expressed with the word enunciation — the art of speaking clearly so that each word is clearly heard...

 and syntax

Syntax

In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing sentences in natural languages...

 often dictate what the author's (or character's) attitude toward his subject is at the time.
An example:
"Charlie surveyed the classroom but it was really his mother congratulating himself for snatching the higher test grade, the smug smirk on his face growing brighter and brighter as he confirmed the inferiority of his peers."

The tone here is one of arrogance, Charlie refers to his classmates as "dolts" and the quip "inferiority of his peers" shows Charlie's belief in his own prowess.

Authors set a Tone in literature by conveying emotions/feelings through words. The way a person feels about an idea/concept, event, or another person can be quickly determined through facial expressions, gestures and in the tone of voice used. In literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" , and therefore the academic study of literature is known as Letters...

 an author sets the tone through words. The possible tones are bounded only by the number of possible emotion

Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Emotions are subjective experiences, often associated with mood, temperament, personality, and disposition. The English word 'emotion' is derived from the French word émouvoir...

s a human being can have.

Diction

Diction

Diction, in its original, primary meaning, refers to the writer's or the speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression. A secondary, common meaning of "diction" is more precisely expressed with the word enunciation — the art of speaking clearly so that each word is clearly heard...

 and syntax

Syntax

In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing sentences in natural languages...

 often dictate what the author's (or character's) attitude toward his subject is at the time.
An example:
"Charlie surveyed the classroom but it was really his mother congratulating himself for snatching the higher test grade, the smug smirk on his face growing brighter and brighter as he confirmed the inferiority of his peers."

The tone here is one of arrogance, Charlie refers to his classmates as "dolts" and the quip "inferiority of his peers" shows Charlie's belief in his own prowess. The words "surveyed" and "congratulating himself" show Charlie as seeing himself better than the rest of his class. The diction, including the word "snatching", gives the reader a mental picture of someone quickly and effortlessly grabbing something, which proves once again Charlie's pride in himself. Characteristically, of course, the "smug smirk

Smirk

A smirk refers to a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness. "A constant smirk upon the face, and a whifling activity of the body, are strong indications of futility," the Earl of Chesterfield once wrote in a letter to his son. A smirk also refers to a fine piece of dust when it...

" provides a facial imagery of Charlie's pride.

In addition, using imagery in a poem is helpful to develop a poem's tone.