Question

24 I left Texas because I could not walk the land. I loved it but did not own it. I

traveled west, to the public land of our national forests, owned and shared by
all Americans, land where I could step into a forest and begin walking, never
encountering a fence: walking my land, our land, the land of all those who came
before us and all who will come afterward. Sauceda has traveled too, climbing
to a sufficient height where borders, fences, and boundaries dissolve. They may
still be visible, but they are not nearly as meaningful-in that grappling between
sky and time-as they are on the ground.

What is most closely the meaning of grappling as it is used in Paragraph 24 of the
text?

A To engage in a close fight or struggle.
B. A small anchor
C. To struggle to overcome
D. To seize hold of someone.

Answer 1

In the provided context, 'grappling' refers to the struggle to overcome symbolic and literal barriers, representing a profound engagement with life's challenges.

Step-by-step explanation:

The word grappling as used in paragraph 24 of the text most closely means 'To struggle to overcome'. This meaning is derived from the context of achieving a heightened perspective where physical barriers such as borders and fences lose their significance. The difficulty of this struggle, both literal and metaphorical, suggests a deep engagement with obstacles that are not easily resolved, akin to a struggle for mental or emotional ground, rather than physical combat or simply holding onto someone or something.