1. Then, faint and prolonged, across the levels of the ranch, he heard the engine whistling for Bonneville. Again and again, at rapid intervals in its flying course, it whistled for road crossings, for sharp curves, for trestles; ominous notes, hoarse, bellowing, ringing with the accents of meace and defiance; and abruptly Presley saw again, in his imagination, the galloping monster, the terror of steel and steam, with its single eye, Cyclopean, red, shooting from horizon to horizon; but saw it now as the symbol of a vast power, huge, terrible, flinging the echo of its thunder over all the reaches of the valley, leaving blood and destruction in its path; the leviathan, with tentacles of  teel clutching into the soil, the soulless Force, the iron-hearted Power, the monster, the Colossus, the Octopus.

2. The day was fine. Since the first rain of the season, there had been no other. Now the sky was without a cloud, pale blue, delicate, luminous, scintillating with morning. The great brown earth turned a huge flank to it, exhaling the moisture of the early dew. The atmosphere, washed clean of dust and mist, was translucent as crystal. Far off to the east, the hills on the other side of Broderson Creek stood out against the pallid saffron of the horizon as flat and as sharply outlined as if pasted on the sky. The campanile of the ancient Mission of San Juan seemed as fine as frost work. All about between the horizons, the carpet of the land unrolled itself to infinity. But now it was no longer parched with heat, cracked and warped by the merciless sun, powdered with dust. The rain had done its work; not a clod that was not swollen with fertility, not a fissure that did not exhale the sense of fecundity.

RECOGNIZE THE CONNOTATIONS OF WORDS.   Some words primarily communicate facts while others reveal feelings. Most  words contain two kinds of meaning: denotation, which is a word's basic meaning, and connotation,  which refers to any emotional suggestions that a particular word holds for you.  For example, the denotation of the word home might be  the place where one resides, while the connotations might include security, warmth, or even uncertainty and misunderstanding.

Some words, such as paper, course, large,  seem to convey little emotional meaning.  They are neutral words. Of course,  once you start using them in connection with other words or ideas, they may take on a positive or a negative connotation. Because words can be live wires of emotion,  you have a great responsibility to understand your audience and use great care with words that have strong emotional connotations.

USE WORDS THAT EXPRESS A FAVORABLE OR UNFAVORABLE ATTITUDE.   If you want to transfer your own  unfavorable feelings to your audience, you have to choose words that convey negative connotations. In the train selection, Norris expresses an attitude of hatred, fear, and resentment toward the train.  The key word ominous establishes the attitude,  and normallly neutral words like hoarse take on an unfavorable connotation.

Conversely, you can also use words to express a positive attitude. Notice that in the second selection,  many of the words are more neutral, but  they are put together in such a way that they convey a sense of pleasant calm.
Also, notice that in both selections, the writers have used color words to help establish a particular feeling.

ASSIGNMENT.  For each topic listed, write a paragraph  in which you convey either a favorable or an unfavorable
sense to your audience. Carefully choose words which best convey your feelings.

1. You've just come back from a weekend as the guest speaker at a junior camp. (favorable)

2.  You're in charge of the Ingathering campaign for your church, and you know that traditionally, the members haven't been very supportive. You've got to inspire them with this short speech. (favorable)

3.  Review a film or book you recently seen/read. (unfavorable)