Joe is speaking at a funeral, so he decides not to open with a joke. He is responding to the situation. As he begins to speak, someone in another room begins hammering on the wall, causing disturbance.
Explanation:
A funeral is a ceremony that is done to honor a dead person. Burial or cremations are some ways of honoring the dead person with the attendant observances. The funeral is done to honor or remember their loved one in a special way and express their feelings about the loss of the person. The people face lot of emotions and pain at the funeral.
It is the place where peace should be maintained. Joe started to speak at the funeral of some person close to him to express his pain. So he decided to stay apart from joke. He began to express his feeling regarding the demise. Suddenly there happened a hammering sound on the wall next to his room. This incident greatly disturbed Joe.
