by demetri.blaisdell Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:51 pm
Thanks for your question, tz_strawberry.
Before we can weaken the author's argument, we have to make sure we get the gist of what she is saying. I think her basic point is:
PW was still a great poet but failed to use African influences because she was constrained by a new language and rigid form.
(E) would weaken the second part of the argument. If we could trace African American themes back to PW, maybe she was using more African influences than the author thought (see lines 45-52).
The wrong answers:
(A) would strengthen the author's point. Of course the English liked PW's poetry: she adopted their whole system and style!
(B) doesn't give us any information about PW's contribution to literary heritage. Was the history she wrote influential? Was it written in a traditional English style? If so, it probably didn't weaken the author's position.
(C) is out of scope. The fact others learned English doesn't have any bearing on PW's contribution to poetry.
(D) is close but not quite. Modern African American poets are recognizing PW. But for what? Her contribution to American poetry, not African American or African poetry.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Also, be sure to check out the diagram and passage map in the "Passage Discussion" topic.
Demetri
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