I AM back in Bracciano, a castellated town about 13 miles north of Rome, after a year in New Jersey. I find the Italian Government still unstable, gasoline more expensive than anywhere in the world, butchers and bank clerks and tobacconists (which also means salt sellers) ready to go on strike at the drop of a cappello, neo‐Fascists at their dirty work, the hammer and sickle painted on the rumps of public statues, a thousand‐lire note (officially worth about $1.63) shrunk to the slightness of dollar bill.
Nevertheless, its delightful to be back. People are underpaid but they go through an act of liking their work, the open markets are luscious with esculent color, the community is more important than the state, the human condition is humorously accepted. The tramontana blows viciously today, and there's no central heating to turn on, but it will be pleasant when the wind drops. The two television channels are inadequate, but next Wednesday's rerun of an old Western, with Gary Cooper coming into a saloon saying “Ciao, ragazzi,” is something to look forward to. Manifold consumption isn't important here. The quality of life has nothing to do with the quantity of brand names. What matters is talk, family, cheap wine in the open air, the wresting of minimal sweetness out of the long‐known bitterness of living. I was spoiled in New Jersey. The Italian for spoiled is viziato, cognate with vitiated, which has to do with vice.
Spoiled? Well, yes. I never had to shiver by a fire that wouldn't draw, or go without canned kraut juice or wild rice. America made me develop new appetites in order to make proper use of the supermarket. A character in Evelyn Waugh's “Put Out More Flags” said that the difference between prewar and postwar life was that, prewar, if one thing went wrong the day was ruined; postwar, if one thing went right the day would be made. America is prewar country, psychologically unprepared for one thing to go wrong. Now everything seem to be going wrong. Hence the neurosis, despair, the Kafka feeling that the whole marvelous fabric of American life is coming apart at the seams. Italy is used to everything going wrong. This is what the human condition is about.
Anthony Burgess asserts in his passage that America is a "prewar" country and that Italy is a "post-war" country to:
a. explain a key cultural difference between Italy and America.
b. illustrate how the culture of a country is linked to its history
c. draw an analogy between war and culture
d. describe the economic situations of the two countries
e. explain how the war influenced the cultures of the Italy and America differently
I thought the answer was e, but I was wrong. I now believe the answer is A or D. Please help.
Are economic differences the same as cultural differences? A speaks of cultural differences, D speaks of economic differences. What has Burgess been writing about?
Burgess been writing about economic differences in my opinion.
Yes. So, is the answer A or D?
The correct answer in this case is b. The passage by Anthony Burgess is comparing the cultural attitudes and conditions in Italy and America. Burgess describes Italy as a "post-war" country, implying that it has experienced and adapted to hardship and instability, while America is portrayed as a "prewar" country, suggesting that it is psychologically unprepared for adversity.
This contrast between the two countries' cultural attitudes and historical experiences is being used by Burgess to highlight a key cultural difference between Italy and America. He emphasizes that Italy's culture has been shaped by its history of coping with difficulties, which has led to a greater acceptance and resilience in the face of challenges. In contrast, he suggests that America's culture, characterized by a focus on consumption, abundance, and the expectation of constant success, has left it more vulnerable to feelings of despair and disarray when things do not go according to plan.
Therefore, option b correctly captures the main purpose of Burgess' passage, which is to illustrate how the culture of a country is linked to its history.