The tone of the excerpt can best be described as tense. The references to the "distant thunder," the uncomfortable heat of the night, and the act of watching and waiting create a suspenseful and foreboding atmosphere. The mention of Mr. Morrison singing into the night adds a sense of solemnity and unease, particularly in relation to the unspecified threat involving the Wallaces.
Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
The night whispered of distant thunder. It was muggy, hot, a miserable night for sleeping. Twice I had awakened hoping that it was time to be up, but each time the night had been total blackness with no hint of a graying dawn. On the front porch Mr. Morrison sat singing soft and low into the long night, chanting to the approaching thunder. He had been there since the house had darkened after church, watching and waiting as he had done every night since Papa had been injured. No one had ever explained why he watched and waited, but I knew. It had to do with the Wallaces.
Which best describes the tone of the excerpt?
tense
joyful
unkind
relaxed
1 answer
1 answer