Question

Traveling By: Grace Paley

She looked to the right and left as well as she could. Softly, she said, Oh no. I became fully awake. A white man was standing right beside her, but on the other side of the invisible absolute racial border. Of course, she couldn’t accept my seat. Her sleeping child hung mercilessly from her neck. She shifted a little to balance the burden. She whispered to herself, Oh, I just don’t know. So I said, Well, at least give me the baby. First, she turned, barely looked at the man beside her. He made no move. So, to my surprise, but obviously out of sheer exhaustion, she disengaged the child from her body and placed him on my lap. He was deep in child-sleep. He stirred, but not enough to bother himself or me. I liked holding him, aligning him along my twenty-year-old young woman’s shape. I thought ahead to that holding, that breathing together that would happen in my life if this war would ever end. I was so comfortable under his nice weight. I closed my eyes for a couple of minutes, but suddenly opened them to look up into the face of a white man talking. In a loud voice, he addressed me: Lady, I wouldn’t have touched that thing with a meat hook.

Describe the overall tone of paragraphs 12 & 13. What feeling is created and how do you know? Use direct evidence in your response.

a) Somber; Evidence: Oh no, Oh, I just don’t know.

b) Excited; Evidence: I became fully awake, So I said.

c) Tense; Evidence: Mercilessly, Balance the burden.

d) Calm; Evidence: I was so comfortable, Child-sleep.

Answer 1

The tone of the excerpt from 'Traveling' by Grace Paley is somber, as indicated by language expressing dread, uncertainty, and a heavy burden.

Step-by-step explanation:

The overall tone of paragraphs 12 and 13 from 'Traveling' by Grace Paley can be described as somber. This feeling is created by the language used by the characters and the reactions to their environment. The phrase 'Oh no' suggests a sense of dread or resignation, while 'Oh, I just don’t know' conveys a feeling of uncertainty and despair. Additionally, the burden of the sleeping child being described as 'mercilessly' hanging from the mother's neck also contributes to this somber atmosphere, hinting at the heavy weight of her struggle.