Read the excerpt from "A Quilt of a Country."
Which statement best explains the role context plays in
better understanding this excerpt?
America is an improbable idea. A mongrel nation built of
ever-changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion,
the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone
knows that most men consider themselves better than
someone. "Of all the nations in the world, the United States
was built in nobody's image," the historian Daniel Boorstin
wrote. That's because it was built of bits and pieces that
seem discordant, like the crazy quilts that have been one of
its great folk-art forms, velvet and calico and checks and
brocades. Out of many, one. That is the ideal.
Quindlen uses the context of American diversity to help
readers rethink the concept of American identity and
understand that she supports the idea of unity among
Americans of all cultures.
Understanding that Quindlen is the descendant of
immigrants helps the reader realize that she supports the
idea that some cultures are naturally better than others.
Quindien uses the context of living in the United States
during the 9/11 attacks to help the reader realize that she
feels that unity among all Americans is impossible to
achieve.
Understanding that Quindlen is an immigrant from
another country helps readers realize that she
understands societies like the United States more than
most people.