But the execution was an external event, not necessarily an internal exorcism. All their lives my parents, along with a nation of Dominicans, had learned the habits of repression, censorship, terror. Those habits would not disappear with a few bullets and a national liberation proclamation. They would not disappear on a plane ride north that put hundreds of miles distance between the Island and our apartment in New York.

Question

But the execution was an external event, not necessarily an internal exorcism. All their lives my parents, along with a nation of Dominicans, had learned the habits of repression, censorship, terror. Those habits would not disappear with a few bullets and a national liberation proclamation. They would not disappear on a plane ride north that put hundreds of miles distance between the Island and our apartment in New York.

And so, long after we had left, my parents were still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads. Even on American soil, they were afraid of awful consequences if they spoke out or disagreed with authorities. The First Amendment right to free speech meant nothing to them. Silence about anything "political" was the rule in our house.

–“A Genetics of Justice,”
Julia Alvarez

What is the central idea of this passage?

Children should work to correct the mistakes of their parents.
If you try hard enough, you can free yourself from social injustice.
It is not easy to correct an injustice that affects an entire generation.
Adults must work to solve their own problems in whatever way possible.

Answer 1

The central idea of this passage is that it is not easy to correct an injustice that affects an entire generation.

Answer 2

The central idea of this passage is that it is not easy to correct an injustice that affects an entire generation.

Answer 3

The central idea of this passage is that it is not easy to correct an injustice that affects an entire generation. The passage highlights how the habits of repression, censorship, and terror that were ingrained in the lives of the author's parents and the nation of Dominicans did not simply disappear with the execution and national liberation proclamation. Even after leaving their home country and residing in the United States, the author's parents still lived in fear and silence, unable to fully exercise their right to free speech due to the lingering effects of the dictatorship. This suggests that the impact of injustice can persist and be challenging to overcome, emphasizing the difficulty of correcting such injustices on a large scale. Therefore, the central idea expressed in the passage is that it is not easy to correct an injustice that affects an entire generation.