Question

"In answer to Their Questions"

When Lisa pours olive oil over salt and pepper, what do the olive oil bubbles show?

a. that Italian culture is better than any other culture
b. that Italians must protect their culture against other cultures
c. that Italians know how to enjoy life better than other people
d. that Italians can join other cultures, but they still keep their own culture

Answer 1

Even without the context, you can immediately eliminate answer choices a. and c. These answer choices are too harsh, indicating that it is not the best answer choice. After eliminating a and c, my best answer would have to be d.

Answer 2

d. that Italians can join other cultures, but they still keep their own culture

Step-by-step explanation:

The poet, Giovanna Capone, comes from an Italian family. In fact, she was raised in an Italian neighbourhood in New York. In this poem, she describes what to be an Italian in New York means. In these lines: " Or my sister Lisa

sitting the kids down, // pouring salt crystals onto a plate on the kitchen table // telling us: "Here's the white people," // & pouring pepper over them,// "And here's the black people," // & pouring olive oil over them, "And here come the Italians!" , the poet describes the relationship bewteen Italian cooking habits and the mixed-race characteristics of New York. Olive oil is : "...where aglio e olio // is Neapolitan // for soul food." Olive oil refers to Italian culture. Then, the blend between white salt and brown pepper represents New York mixed-raced population. The fact that the oil bubbles get within the blend means that Italians can be part of the blend but thier customs will remain.