Question

Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of Obasan by Joy Kogawa.


What, I wonder, was Aunt Emily trying to accomplish through all this correspondence? She was no doubt keeping the home fires burning and shouting "Democracy” to keep the enemy at bay. But all of this belongs to yesterday and there are so many other things to attend to today. All the details of death that are left in the laps of the living.

Which sentence from the excerpt creates a different mood from the others?

“What, I wonder, was Aunt Emily trying to accomplish through all this correspondence?”
“She was no doubt keeping the home fires burning and shouting ‘Democracy’ to keep the enemy at bay.”
“But all of this belongs to yesterday and there are so many other things to attend to today.”
“All the details of death that are left in the laps of the living.”

Answer 1

“She was no doubt keeping the home fires burning and shouting ‘Democracy’ to keep the enemy at bay.”

This sentence has a patriotic/defensive, almost upbeat tone, while the others are contemplative, resigned, or somber (questioning the purpose, dismissing it as yesterday, and dwelling on death).