Question

Read the paragraph from a student's literary essay comparing two different works

(1) Sandra Cisneros's "Mericans" is about a young American girl of Mexican descent who is struggling to find her
own cultural identity (2) Cisneros illustrates this through a number of images and ideas. (3) For example, the speaker,
Micaela, calls her grandmother "awful," and seems to resent the woman's strict views and religious ideals. (4) The
speaker also mentions how she and her brother emulate characters from popular American television programs
when they play make-believe. (5) Lastly, she describes physically standing outside her family's church, an act that
symbolizes the fact that she feels like an outsider to Mexican culture. (6) Although Micaela is of Mexican descent, she
seems to feel a stronger connection to the United States.
This paragraph supports the idea that Micaela
wishes her heritage was different because she has difficulty relating to her grandmother.
wants to find her own unique identity that is separate from her brother and her grandmother
will never accept her Mexican roots because of her feelings toward her grandmother
identifies with her Mexican heritage in a different way than her grandmother
Mark this and return
Save and Exit
Next
Submit

Answer 1

Micaela from Sandra Cisneros's "Mericans" is struggling with her cultural identity and identifies with her Mexican heritage differently than her grandmother, seeking to create her own unique identity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The paragraph from the student's literary essay suggests that the main character, Micaela, from Sandra Cisneros's "Mericans," is experiencing a cultural identity struggle. However, the most accurate interpretation of Micaela's feelings portrayed through the examples given in the paragraph indicates that she identifies with her Mexican heritage differently than her grandmother. The essay states that Micaela feels like an outsider to Mexican culture, highlighted by her standing outside the church, and connects more with American culture, shown by her and her brother playing make-believe as characters from American television shows. Yet, there is no indication that she wishes to alter her heritage or that she will never accept her Mexican roots; instead, it demonstrates her journey to forge her own unique cultural identity.