Question

Consider: Art is the antidote that can call us back from the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to feel for another. — Barbara Kingsolver, High Tide in Tucson Discuss: 1. By using the word antidote, what does the author imply about the inability to feel for another? 2. If we changed the word antidote to gift, what effect would it have on the meaning of the sentence?

Answer 1

1. He is implying that the inability to feel for another is a sickness. Just as a drug serves as the antidote to an illness, so does art serve as the cure to the sickness of being unable to feel for another.

2. The use of the word gift makes us see art as a blessing that can be given to someone to make the person more compassionate towards people.

Step-by-step explanation:

The author likened the inability to feel for another to a sickness that requires an antidote or a cure. He is hereby implying that art can make us be more emotional and compassionate towards people.

When the word antidote is changed to gift, we no longer see art as a remedy to a problem but as a blessing or talent that can help us overcome the problem of being unable to show empathy.