Read the following sentences from "And of Clay Are We Created." Faced with the impossibility of communicating with him, the fantastic idea came to me that if I tried, I could reach him by force of mind and in that way give him encouragement. I concentrated until I was dizzy—a frenzied and futile activity. At times I would be overcome with compassion and burst out crying; at other times, I was so drained I felt as if I were staring through a telescope at the light of a star dead for a million years.

Which of the following words best describes the speaker's tone?
A. tormented
B. resolved
C. realistic
D. passionate