Then all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths and other noises—the chair and table went over in a lump, a clash
of steel followed, and then a cry of pain, and the next instant I saw Black Dog in full flight, and the captain hotly pursuing, both with drawn cutlasses, and the former streaming blood from the left shoulder. Just at the door the captain aimed at the fugitive one last tremendous cut, which would certainly have split him to the chine had it not been intercepted by our big signboard of Admiral Benbow. You may see the notch on the lower side of the frame to this day. —Treasure Island,
Robert Louis Stevenson
What tone should be used when reading this passage?
The passage exhibits great confusion, fear, trauma, anxiety, hurry and adrenaline rush. Such description or the narration style involves a frantic tone.
Frantic tone means a mode of expression that involves great confusion and excitement.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is an adventurous novel which involves thrilling plot and a lot of action. The narration is based upon the scene development which is fast paced. Thus, the story needs a frantic tone to narrate the incident so as to get more attention from the reader.
