Question

Read the excerpts from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” and “Speaking Arabic.” My friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. He took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of Spanish, English, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. At a neighborhood fair in Texas, somewhere between the German Oom-pah Sausage Stand and the Mexican Gorditas booth, I overheard a young man say to his friend, “I wish I had a heritage. Sometimes I feel—so lonely for one.” And the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head. Which best states how the structures of both excerpts engage the reader? They employ statistical evidence. They employ figurative language. They employ supporting quotes. They employ an authoritative tone.

Answer 1

B. They employ figurative language


Both of these excerpts engage the reader by making the text come alive. The first employs a metaphor when it says "In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry". This metaphor is comparing the heritage in his friend's writing to a tortilla which then he extends into comparing to their souls.
The second piece employs imagery and personification when he describes "the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head", showing that the trees are coming alive to show his friend that they are part of his heritage.