What do we call the message or idea conveyed through the author's choice of words?

The correct answer, tone, refers to the author's attitude toward the subject matter, conveyed through their choice of words and style of writing. The tone can evoke various feelings in the reader and significantly influences how the message or idea is received. For instance, a serious tone will deliver the author's message differently than a sarcastic tone, even if the words themselves are similar.

In contrast to tone, theme is the underlying message or insight about life that a literary work expresses, which is more broad and not solely dependent on word choice. Imagery refers to descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates vivid mental pictures for the reader, thus contributing to the tone but not directly defined by word selection alone. A counterclaim addresses opposing viewpoints in a discussion or argument and does not pertain to the author's message or choice of words in conveying their ideas.