Final answer:
Janet is 'hearing' the message, not 'attending' to it, while Lilah is actively engaged with the content of their history class lecture. The literary examples illustrate how characters display different levels of engagement in communication.
Step-by-step explanation:
Lilah and her friend Janet attend the same history class. One day after class, Lilah wants to talk with Janet about a particular point in the lecture, but Janet has no idea what Lilah is asking her about. Even though they are in the same class, it is clear that Janet is only hearing the message while Lilah is attending to the message. This distinction highlights the difference between merely hearing words and actively listening and engaging with the content. Hearing is the physical process of sound waves entering the ear and being recognized by the brain, but attention involves processing, understanding, and retaining the information conveyed.
In the provided literary examples, characters demonstrate various levels of engagement with communication. For instance, in the first excerpt, Bernice is absent-mindedly picking up a book after a confrontation, perhaps not truly focused on reading. This contrasts with Lilah, who was attending to the message in her class, indicating a deeper cognitive involvement.