Ravenous, and now very faint, i devoured a spoonful or two of my portion without thinking of its taste; but the first edge of hunger blunted, i perceived i had got in hand a nauseous mess; burnt porridge is almost as bad as rotten potatoes; famine itself soon sickens over it. the spoons were moved slowly: i saw each girl taste her food and try to swallow it; but in most cases the effort was soon relinquished. breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted. (jane eyre; chapter 5, pp. 30-31)

in the excerpt above, what is the depiction of the food an example of?

a. characterization

b. a foil

c. mood

d. a motif