Question

What effect does the use of mixed Spanish and English have in this excerpt from "Freeway 280" by Lorna Dee Cervantes? Albaricosqueros cerezos, nogales... Viejitas come here with paper bags to gather greens. Espinaca, verdolagas, yerbabuena... A. The mixed language celebrates the poet's bicultural and bilingual identity. B. The mixed language suggests the poet does not have a good command of English. C. The mixed language gives the poem a lyrical, rhythmic quality. D. The mixed language conveys the poet's rejection of her American identity. E. The mixed language hints at the poet's inner conflicts based on her bicultural heritage.

Answer 1

The effect that the use of mixed Spanish and English have in this excerpt from Freeway 280 by Lorna Dee Cervantes is that it gives the poem a lyrical, rhythmic quality. The correct answer is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nothing in this excerpt (just in this excerpt given) suggest any struggle from the author, in fact, it could also demonstrate that she is proud of her bicultural heritage and celebrates it. But, what is clear is the rhythm those words, and change of language, gives to the excerpt. Just try and read it out loud and see how dynamic it is, it is fun and has a great pace. It definitely gives a lyrical, rhythmic quality.

Answer 2

E. The mixed language hints at the poet's inner conflicts based on her bicultural heritage.

To understand why is this the correct answer we need to know more about the autho Lorna Dee Cervantes.

"Of both Mexican and Native American ancestry, Cervantes is a member of a fifth-generation California family. Her parents, concerned about prejudices against Spanish-speaking citizens in the United States, strictly forbade the use of any language but English in the home as Cervantes was growing up. Cervantes's poetry often reflects this clash between her ethnic background and the American culture around her. As a way of reflecting her multicultural upbringing, the poet often makes use of both English and Spanish vocabulary in her poems."

* Freeway 280." Poetry for Students. . Encyclopedia.com. 6 Mar. 2019

The author in the poem does not want to celebrate her biculturalism but wants to express through the use of the two languages that she is internally in conflict with her identity and does not reject any of the two cultures she has. Mexican and American.