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Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of “A Mystery of Heroism” is simultaneously mournful and ironic. Throughout the story, Crane juxtaposes the merciless presence of war with a young soldier’s absurd decision to try to obtain water from a well located in the middle of a violent battle. The following passage captures the shifts in tone that happen when Crane moves his focus from the ongoing wreckage of the battle to the safe area where Collins (the young soldier) and the rest of the infantry are stationed:
From the ruck of bleeding and prostrate horses, the men of the infantry could see one animal raising its stricken body with its forelegs and turning its nose with mystic and profound eloquence toward the sky.
Some comrades joked Collins about his thirst. “Well, if yeh want a drink so bad, why don’t yeh go git it?”
“Well, I will in a minnet, if yeh don’t shut up!”
Related Themes:
