Question

Read the passage from "Two Kinds.” Last week I sent a tuner over to my parents’ apartment and had the piano reconditioned, for purely sentimental reasons. My mother had died a few months before and I had been getting things in order for my father, a little bit at a time. I put the jewelry in special silk pouches. The sweaters she had knitted in yellow, pink, bright orange—all the colors I hated—I put those in moth-proof boxes. I found some old Chinese silk dresses, the kind with little slits up the sides. I rubbed the old silk against my skin, then wrapped them in tissue and decided to take them home with me. What evidence supports the idea that the narrator’s motivation is intrinsic? “Last week I sent a tuner over to my parents’ apartment and had the piano reconditioned, for purely sentimental reasons.” “My mother had died a few months before and I had been getting things in order for my father, a little bit at a time.” “I put the jewelry in special silk pouches. The sweaters she had knitted in yellow, pink, bright orange—all the colors I hated—I put those in moth-proof boxes.” “I found some old Chinese silk dresses, the kind with little slits up the sides.”

Answer 1

The answer is:

"Last week I sent a tuner over to my parents’ apartment and had the piano reconditioned, for purely sentimental reasons.”

This is intrisic because she says, "purely for sentimental reasons" meaning she wasn't influenced by anything from the outside, this was something she did on her own based on how she personally felt. It was based on her emotions and her feelings. Hope this helps:)

Answer 2

The narrator's intrinsic motivation is shown through sentimental actions like reconditioning the piano and preserving her mother's belongings for personal emotional reasons.

The intrinsic motivation of the narrator is evidenced by actions taken out of personal sentiment and emotional significance rather than external rewards or pressures. Specifically, when the narrator mentions having the piano reconditioned for purely sentimental reasons, after her mother's death, it indicates an intrinsic desire to preserve memories and honor her mother's legacy.

Similarly, taking care to store jewelry and handmade sweaters, despite disliking their colors, and choosing to keep her mother's silk dresses close by rubbing them against her skin before wrapping them up, reflects a personal, emotional connection to these items.

These actions are not motivated by praise, recognition, or any external reward; they are driven by the narrator's internal feelings of love, nostalgia, and grief.