What is the authors tone toward rip van winkle

The correct answer is D. They parallel Stanley's wish that things had turned out differently for him.

Explanation:

Once the story introduced us to Stanley, we know his character is unlucky; always in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was the major issue that sent him to the camp in the first place, a punishment for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This particular lullaby tells the story of a woodpecker wishing the situation was different for it, as danger (the wolf) awaits below. The woodpecker is stuck in a situation it can't control, wishing for a way out with the phrase "if only, if only".

Thus, it can be compared to Stanley's predicament; he wishes his situation was different and that things turned different. Instead, he has to complete a sentence for being unlucky.