The mood throughout Reflections on the Revolution in France remains fairly neutral, given that it is a persuasive political essay that makes minimal use of strong emotion. However, the author's frustration does come across in multiple places—a frustration that seeps into the piece's mood. Regardless of whether or not the reader agrees with Burke's position, his frustration is clear and affects the reader's experience and mood while engaging with the essay.
While it is important to distinguish between mood and tone, in a persuasive essay, the latter will often infiltrate the former. This is not without cause: if a person wishes to persuade others of their views and convince them to align with a political argument, the overall tone is often intentionally cultivated to influence the essay's effect on readers. Take, for instance, the subject of regicide. If an author chooses to take a serious tone when discussing that topic in a political pamphlet, like Burke does, this encourages a contemplative, introspective mood in the reader and encourages them to take the monarchy seriously. If, however, an author's tone is satirical or humorous when discussing regicide, this might generate a lighthearted mood for the reader, achieving the writer's objective of undermining the monarchy's power.
