Which of the following inferences is most strongly supported by the following stanza (lines 46-54)?
oh mother you plunged me sobbing and laughing
into our past
into the river crossing at five
into the spinach fields
into the plainview cotton rows
into tuberculosis wards
into braids and muslin dresses
sewn hard and taut to withstand the thrashings of
twenty-five years
Answer choices for the above question
A. Thinking about her mother is too painful for the speaker.
B. The mother gave birth to the speaker when she was twenty-five years old.
C. The speaker’s family likely did farm work in order to survive.
D. The quilts were sewn into dresses when the speaker was old enough.
Which lines from this stanza most strongly support the answer to Question 3?
Answer choices for the above question
A. “oh mother you plunged me sobbing and laughing / into our past”
B. “into the spinach fields / into the plainview cotton rows”
C. “into tuberculosis wards / into braids and muslin dresses”
D. “sewn hard and taut to withstand the thrashings of / twenty-five years”
3 answers
The textual evidence to support this answer can be found in the following lines:
"oh mother you plunged me sobbing and laughing
into our past"
These lines suggest that the mother's quilts are a vehicle for the speaker to delve into their family's past and connect to their history. The quilts, as a physical object, hold the memories and experiences that the speaker emotionally immerses themselves in. This deeper meaning goes beyond the practical purpose of keeping warm, and instead symbolizes the speaker's connection to their heritage.