Question

Read the excerpt from Julia Ortiz Cofer’s poem "El Olvido."

It is dangerous
to spurn the clothes you were born to wear
for the sake of fashion; dangerous
to use weapons and sharp instruments
you are not familiar with; dangerous
to disdain the plaster saints
before which your mother kneels
praying with embarrassing fervor
that you survive in the place you have chosen to live:

The items listed in this excerpt symbolize
the ways of life that are unfamiliar to the speaker.
the fervent religious beliefs of the speaker’s mother.
the speaker’s desire to forget embarrassing traditions.
the traditions and customs of the speaker’s native land

Answer 1

the traditions and customs of the speaker’s native land

Explanation: the clothes, the plaster saints, and the warning against abandoning them are symbols of cultural heritage and customs tied to the speaker’s place of origin.