Question

Read these sentences from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

Everything that lived or grew, was oppressed by the glare; except the lizard, passing swiftly over rough stone walls, and the cicada, chirping his dry hot chirp, like a rattle. The very dust was scorched brown, and something quivered in the atmosphere as if the air itself were panting.

How does figurative language contribute to the tone of these sentences?


The personification of panting air contributes to a tone of hopelessness.

The contrast of the lizard to the environment contributes to the tone of hope.

The simile of the cicada's rattle contributes to a tone of menace.

The image of scorched brown dust contributes to a tone of desolation.

Answer 1

answer: The personification of painting air contributes to a tone of hopelessness.

Answer 2

Answer: A) The personification of panting air contributes to a tone of hopelessness.

Explanation: The tone of a text or sentence is the author's or speaker's attitude towards the audience, the subject or even the characters of the text. In the given sentences from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, we can see an example of personification (giving human characteristics to non human objects or animals), in the phrase "as if the air itself were panting," this personification contributes to a tone of hopelessness.