Question

Read the excerpt from "Missing in Action” by Thanhha Lai.

Everything on the altar
remains for the day
except the portrait.
Mother locks it away
as soon as her chant ends.

She cannot bear
to look into Father’s
forever-young
eyes.

How does the use of plot contribute to the tone of the excerpt?

It develops a tone of hostility as the reader grasps the speaker’s anger at her mother.
It develops a tone of grief as the reader observes the events through the speaker’s eyes.
It develops a tone of respect as the reader learns of one of the speaker’s family rituals.
It develops a tone of uncertainty as the speaker’s setting remains unknown to the reader.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

**It develops a tone of grief as the reader observes the events through the speaker’s eyes.**

In this excerpt, the act of the mother locking away the portrait of the father suggests a profound sense of loss and sadness. The mother’s inability to look into the portrait reflects her grief, and the speaker's perspective allows the reader to feel the weight of this emotional struggle. The overall atmosphere conveys a mourning for what has been lost, which contributes to a tone of grief throughout the passage.