Tone Analysis for the Prince of Tides (This essay talks about the peaceful yet remorseful attitude shown by the author in the story.)

In the excerpt, Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, a boy explains how he gained respect for the land after killing the last eagle in the county. His story is wonderfully told, making the reader have a respect for the land, also. The narrator expresses his feelings of peacefulness and remorse in his work.

Conroy's diction displays his feelings of remorse and peacefulness. For example, "heat" is the pressure he was under after killing the eagle, yet at the time he hadn't realized the enormity of his mistake. The nervousness of being around his classmates after doing something that horrific, and having to show his wrong by the wearing of feathers gave him a constant reminder. That alone would be enough to make him never forget. Also, the bird's flesh that he had to eat like a cannibal would be hot on his tongue reminding him to never to do this crime again.

The Prince of Tides

Conroy Cougar.

Conroy Cougar reading.

Doing something wrong and having to face "it" is a hard thing to do. He took this to heart and is shameful for his mistake. But, peacefulness hangs in the air before his crime, showing that he is not bad, just human, when he tells about the "tides" he grew up around. Tides are a sense of calmness and fill us with peace. White sand beaches go along with tides, showing that the color of peace, white, is showing somewhere. Conroy uses a powerful choice of words to describe his experience.

The details in this excerpt are not to be overlooked for they show the passion this passage represents. For example, killing a deer at the age of seven is an event that can be traumatizing for some. Most children would recoil at the thought of killing "Bambi". The author describes his early hunting...