But that is Cooper’s way; frequently he will explain and justify little things that do not need it and then make up for this by as frequently failing to explain important ones that do need it. For instance he allowed that astute and cautious person, Deerslayer-Hawkeye, to throw his rifle heedlessly down and leave it lying on the ground where some hostile Indians would presently be sure to find it – a rifle prized by that person above all things else in the earth – and the reader gets no word of explanation of that strange act. There was a reason, but it wouldn’t bear exposure. Cooper meant to get a fine dramatic effect out of the finding of the rifle by the Indians, and he accomplished this at the happy time; but all the same, Hawkeye could have hidden the rifle in a quarter of a minute where the Indians could not have found it. Cooper couldn’t think of any way to explain why Hawkeye didn’t do that, so he just shirked the difficulty and did not explain at all.

Question

— Mark Twain, “Cooper’s Prose Style,” Letters from the Earth

Question 1 (1 point)
What is Twain’s tone in this passage? What is central to the tone of this passage: the attitude toward the speaker, the subject, or the reader?

Your answer:
Question 2 (1 point)
How does Twain create the tone?

Your answer:
Question 3 (1 point)
Write a paragraph about a movie you have recently seen. Create a critical, disparaging tone through your choice of details. Use Twain’s paragraph as a model. Be prepared to share your paragraph with the class.

Your answer:

Answer 1

Question 1 (1 point) What is Twain’s tone in this passage? What is central to the tone of this passage: the attitude toward the speaker, the subject, or the reader?

Your answer: Twain's tone in this passage is critical and disparaging. He reveals a sense of frustration with Cooper's writing choices, particularly with his inconsistent explanations of character actions. Twain's attitude is directed primarily toward the subject—Cooper's prose style—rather than towards the reader or himself. He illustrates his disdain for Cooper's storytelling logic and the arbitrary decisions made in the narrative, ultimately questioning the effectiveness of the author's dramatic choices.

Question 2 (1 point) How does Twain create the tone?

Your answer: Twain creates the critical tone through a combination of sarcastic language, specific examples, and a clear comparison of literary expectations versus actual storytelling. He employs phrases like “strange act” and “couldn’t think of any way to explain” to subtly mock Cooper's decisions while highlighting the absurdity of the character's actions. By focusing on a concrete example—the ridiculousness of Hawkeye leaving his rifle—Twain emphasizes the inconsistency in logic and the lack of satisfactory explanation, which serves to undermine Cooper's authority as a writer and entertains the reader through his sharp wit.

Question 3 (1 point) Write a paragraph about a movie you have recently seen. Create a critical, disparaging tone through your choice of details. Use Twain’s paragraph as a model. Be prepared to share your paragraph with the class.

Your answer: In "The Grand Adventure," the filmmakers seem to have misplaced any semblance of logic while crafting their storyline. The lead character, a treasure hunter with unparalleled skills, inexplicably decides to leave his map—a treasure map, no less—tucked under a rock in broad daylight while he prattles on about the thrill of the hunt. It’s as if the screenwriters thought, “What’s the fun in having him carry it?” Meanwhile, they expect the viewer to buy into this character’s supposed cleverness, even as he's practically begging the pirates lurking nearby to snatch it up. There’s undoubtedly a twist waiting in the wings, but such contrived decisions only serve to leave the audience boggled rather than thrilled. The film pretends to revel in suspense while drowning in its own absurdity; the grand adventure is lost in a haze of glaring plot holes and lazy writing.