attitude

Narrated by J Crosson
Written by M Kunert

Attitude-
A writer's intellectual position or emotion regarding the subject of the writing. the essay section, expect to be asked what the writer's attitude is iand how his or her language conveys that attitude. Also, be aware that, although the singular term "attitude" is used in this definition and on the exam, the passage will rarely have only one attitude. More often than not, the author's attitude will be more complex than that, and the students who present this complexity-no matter how subtle the differences-will appear to be more astute than the student who only uses one objective to describe attitude. Of course, don't force an attitude that has no evidence in the passage, but rather understand that an accurate statement of an author's attitude is not likely to be a blantantly obvious idea. If it were that simple, the test committee wouldn't ask you to discuss it.

Nostalgic: revealing a kind of homesickness for the past.

"Of, for the halcyon days of our childhood when there was time for playing family games, reading good books, enjoying dinner conversation; we knew each other; we shared our joys and disappointments," the mother reminisced.

Sentimental: Feeling extravagantly emotional as opposed to being rational

Jim and Mary Smith had looked forward to the trip for months. They were returning to a city they had fallen in love with during the five years it was their home over a decade ago. So many memories were rooted in the years when they lived near Washington D.C. They had bought their first house while they lived in a nearby suburb. Their two sons had begun school during those years, and Jim and Mary had established many close friendships. Above all, they had become caught up in the excitement of living in the nation's capital., with its continual political intrigue and constant awareness of international affairs. Indeed, they were more than eager to return, see friends, and visit the beautiful city they loved.

Moralizing: to explain or interpret good or bad features of something

"Wellm if you want to live like a yuppie, you better study hard and complete your education. That piece od parchment is the bottom rung of the yuppie ladder."

example: feeling sad in a specific scense of the essay

http://www.gpc.edu/~lawowl/handouts/authors-tone.pdf