Question

Read the excerpt from 'America and I.'

""Great chances have come to me. But in my heart is always a deep sadness. I feel like a man who is sitting down to a secret table of plenty, while his near ones and dear ones are perishing before his eyes. My very joy in doing the work I love hurts me like secret guilt, because all about me I see so many with my longings, my burning eagerness, to do and to be, wasting their days in drudgery they hate, merely to buy bread and pay rent. And America is losing all that richness of the soul."
Which statement best describes how the word choice contributes to the overall tone conveyed in this excerpt?
A. The narrator's use of positive words conveys a tone of optimism.
B. The narrator's use of neutral language suggests a tone of objectivity.
C. The narrator's use of informal language contributes to a tone of nonchalance.
D. The narrator's use of expressive language creates a tone of melancholy.

Answer 1

The narrator's language in 'America and I' contributes to a melancholic tone, using words and phrases that highlight deep sadness, drudgery, and the loss of soulful richness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The word choice in the excerpt from 'America and I' strongly contributes to a tone of melancholy throughout the text. The narrator discusses the sadness in their heart and the struggles of those around them, using phrases like 'deep sadness' and 'wasting their days in drudgery they hate'.

Such language invokes the sense of a rich inner life that is contrasted by the sorrowful reality of unfulfilled aspirations and the societal loss of potential richness of the soul. The narrator expresses pain over their joy, describing it as 'secret guilt', which underscores the sense of melancholy pervading their experience despite personal successes.