Question

Reread the following section.

But in the main, I feel like a brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall. Against a wall in company with other bags, white, red and yellow. Pour out the contents, and there is discovered a jumble of small things priceless and worthless. A first-water diamond, an empty spool, bits of broken glass, lengths of string, a key to a door long since crumbled away, a rusty knife-blade, old shoes saved for a road that never was and never will be, a nail bent under the weight of things too heavy for any nail, a dried flower or two, still a little fragrant. In your hand is the brown bag. On the ground before you is the jumble it held—so much like the jumble in the bags, could they be emptied, that all might be dumped in a single heap and the bags refilled without altering the content of any greatly. A bit of colored glass more or less would not matter. Perhaps that is how the Great Stuffer of Bags filled them in the first place—who knows?

Question
Based on Hurston's metaphor of the bags of miscellany, the reader can infer which statement?
Select one:
a. Each person is unique, regardless of his or her color.
b. A person's racial identity is made up of several competing factors.
c. Every person has complex feelings about his or her own racial identity.
d. People of all colors are essentially made of the same human characteristics.

Answer 1

Main Answer:

Hurston's metaphor implies diverse, intricate feelings about racial identity, emphasizing the complex, unique nature of each individual's experience. c. Every person has complex feelings about his or her own racial identity.

Therefore, the correct answer is c. Every person has complex feelings about his or her own racial identity.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hurston's metaphor of the bags of miscellany suggests that each individual, represented by a unique bag, contains a mix of elements—some valuable, some worthless. This reflects the complexity of human identity, particularly in the context of racial identity. The bags, regardless of their external color, hold a diverse array of items, symbolizing the multifaceted nature of individuals.

The mention of "a jumble of small things priceless and worthless" highlights the intricate and nuanced emotions people harbor about their racial identity. Just as the bags can be emptied and refilled without altering the overall content greatly, the metaphor implies that while individuals may differ in external appearances, the core aspects of human identity remain similar.

The idea that a "bit of colored glass more or less would not matter" emphasizes that the differences in skin color are superficial and inconsequential in defining the essence of a person. Therefore, the metaphor supports the inference that every person has intricate and multifaceted feelings about their own racial identity, capturing the complexity and individuality within the broader context of human diversity.

Therefore, the correct answer is c. Every person has complex feelings about his or her own racial identity.