Which word BEST describes the speaker in this passage?

What does the first line in this stanza from old ironsides by oliver wendell holmes tell the reader about the ship

Read the excerpt from "how i learned english.” and that was important, as important as joe barone asking me how i was through his tears, picking me up and dusting me off with hands like swatters, what does the imagery in the excerpt best readers picture? the awful stinging sensation of being dusted off the quick slapping motion of joe’s hands how roughly the speaker is pulled off the ground how loud and hard joe is laughing

This is a set of words that begins with a preposition.