Blog #2: Diction

Diction is defined as a style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words.  This basically means that the writer uses word choice to influence how one perceives what is going on in the writing.  Different words may mean the same thing, but the length, sound, feeling, complexity, and other factors all can affect how we think about what was written.  For example: the imposing king inspected the disordered crowd of peasants vs. the majestic king gazed over the jumbled crowd of peasants.  The sentences mean basically the same thing, but the way we imagine the situation is much more complex than what can be expressed by only the definitions of the words.  The first sentence in the example may have seemed happier and less serious than the second one purely because of the word choice describing the sitation.  Colors are very useful for creating diction because of all the non-color connections we make to simple colors.  Red can mean blood, pain, or anger while white might bring on a feeling of cleanliness, or purity.  Authors use diction to influence the mood and tone of the writing, and to better describe characters or situations.