How To Use the SOAPSTone Strategy

This is a how-to guide for using the S.O.A.P.S.Tone strategy to analyze literature and speeches. SOAPSTone can be used to analyze how the different parts of a composition lead to greater meaning and understanding. SOAPSTone can also be used as a planning device for your own essays.
The S.O.A.P.S.Tone acronym stands for speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone. Look at each piece individually at first, then bring them all together to enhance your understanding of the text.
The speaker is the voice that tells the story. If there is someone identified as the speaker in the piece, see if you can make some assumptions about him or her. Can you tell what social class the speaker belongs to? Can you tell if the speaker has any political bias? What gender is the speaker? How do all of these things play a role in the passage as a whole?
Occasion involves the time and place of the piece, the context that prompted the writing. Think about what might have prompted the author to write this piece. What event led to its publication or development?
The group of readers to whom the piece is directed is called the audience. Sometimes the author identifies the audience directly, and sometimes we have to make assumptions based on what the author says and the words he uses. We also need to consider the occasion in this case.
The purpose is the reason behind the text, why the author is writing. Think about the author's language and any literary techniques he or she employs. Think about how the speaker feels and how he or she wants the audience to feel.
The subject of the piece can be stated in a few words or phrases and should be supported by evidence from the text. Think about why the author chose this subject over all of the other subjects to write about.
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject. When evaluating the tone of a piece, look at the word choice and images the author uses. Also consider the sentence structures the author uses as well as any intended irony or satire.