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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:
In Mother Courage, Brecht uses a cynical tone. In a war that supposedly is about religion, nothing is holy. The characters behave irreverently, wearing their vices on their sleeves. The Chaplain shows himself to be lustful, the Cook shows himself to be unreliable, and Mother Courage shows herself to be callous. In addition to individual characters, the play shines light on the immorality of institutions. There are frequent remarks about the hypocrisy and incompetence of the government and the church, two groups that are supposed to protect people but end up fueling the bloodiness of the war.
The many anti-capitalist and anti-militarist statements that appear are incredibly blasé. The characters deliver scathing criticism in a matter-of-fact-tone. For example, the Cook says, “In one sense it’s a war because there’s fleecing, bribing, plundering, not to mention a little raping, but it’s different from all other wars because it’s a war of religion.” This sarcastic statement demonstrates that the war is not, in fact, different because the parties fight in the name of religion. It shows that all the same crimes occur as in any other war, and it cautions the audience about trying to justify war. In other words, even if a war looks like it should be fair and just on paper, in actuality, any war is as brutal as the next.
