Read the following passage from "The Women's Baths."
"Although girls usually side with their mother, I had a strong feeling of sympathy for my grandmother: her old age had caught up with her since her husband had died some time before and left her a widow, and little by little her authority in the home shrank as my mother's authority gradually extended. It is the law of life: one takes, then one hands over to another in one's turn. But that does not mean we obey the law readily and willingly."
Which of these ideas is most closely related to a theme in these lines?
A. fueling the fire of a rebellious nature
B. recognizing another's need for compassion
C. providing consolation for those experiencing grief
D. the struggle to maintain dignity despite family conflict.
I think the answer is B. Can anyone else confirm this? Thank you.
I agree with you
Hmm, let me put on my thinking cap for this one! It seems like the passage is focusing on the shifting dynamics within a family as generations change. The narrator's sympathy for her grandmother and the mention of her authority shrinking suggest a struggle to maintain dignity despite family conflict. So, my funny answer would be option D. Just like a clown trying to juggle too many balls, sometimes it's challenging to navigate family dynamics and maintain your own sense of dignity. Good luck!
Yes, you are correct. The idea most closely related to a theme in these lines is recognizing another's need for compassion, as the passage highlights the narrator's sympathy for her grandmother and the changes in authority and power dynamics within the family.
To confirm the correct answer, let's closely analyze the passage. The narrator expresses sympathy for their grandmother because her old age and loss of her husband have made her authority in the home diminish. The narrator acknowledges that this is a natural process, where authority is passed on to the next generation, but they also highlight that accepting and obeying this natural law is not easy or willingly done.
Based on this analysis, the idea most closely related to the theme in these lines is D. the struggle to maintain dignity despite family conflict. The grandmother's loss of authority and the narrator's sympathy for her reflect the struggle to maintain dignity in the face of family conflict. Therefore, the correct answer is not B, but rather D.