Question

Once these disparate parts were held together by a common enemy, by the fault lines of world wars and the electrified fence of communism. With the end of the cold war there was the creeping concern that without a focus for hatred and distrust, a sense of national identity would evaporate, that the left side of the hyphen – African-American, Mexican-American, Irish-American – would overwhelm the right.

–"A Quilt of a Country,"
Anna Quindlen

What is the denotative meaning of “electrified fence”?


What is the connotative meaning of “electrified fence” in the passage?



What does the use of this phrase reveal about how the author views communism?

Answer 1

Denotative meaning
- A fence wired to carry an electric current so that anyone who touches it receives a shock; a physical barrier used to deter, confine, or protect.

Connotative meaning in the passage
- A metaphor for communism as a harsh, electrified barrier that kept a fractured society contained and unified by fear of a common enemy. It implies a forceful, dangerous, imposed boundary rather than a voluntary or friendly bond.

What this reveals about the author’s view of communism
- Quindlen sees communism as an external, menacing force that coerced unity: it held Americans together not by choice but by threat. The phrase suggests she regards that unity as enforced and potentially harmful—effective in keeping people aligned but achieved through intimidation rather than genuine solidarity.