Question

Read the passage from "Two Kinds." And I started to play. It was so beautiful. I was so caught up in how lovely I looked that at first I didn’t worry how I would sound. So it was a surprise to me when I hit the first wrong note and I realized something didn’t sound quite right. And then I hit another and another followed that. A chill started at the top of my head and began to trickle down. Yet I couldn’t stop playing, as though my hands were bewitched. I kept thinking my fingers would adjust themselves back, like a train switching to the right track. I played this strange jumble through two repeats, the sour notes staying with me all the way to the end. How is this passage an example of an internal conflict?

Answer 1

This question is missing the options. I've found them online. They are the following:

How is this passage an example of an internal conflict?

a. It describes the narrator's inability to stop playing when  she wants to do so.

b. It describes the narrator's unexpected enjoyment of  performing in front of an audience.

c. It describes the narrator's thoughts and feelings as she  struggles through a poor performance.

d. It describes the results of the narrator's refusal to  practice diligently and learn to play the piano correctly.

Answer:

The passage is an example of an internal conflict because:

c. It describes the narrator's thoughts and feelings as she  struggles through a poor performance.

Explanation:

"Two Kinds" is a short story by Amy Tan. The main character is June, Suyuan's daughter. June is expected to become a child prodigy by her mother. However, she is determined to not work hard, to not apply herself. The conflicts with her mother lead June to decide that she will remain mediocre for the rest of her life.

Even though she had been taking piano lessons, June was not really taking them seriously. When the time for her first presentation comes, her performance is a fiasco. We get to experience all of her internal conflict as she describes her feelings when she is struggling. June is excited at first. She does enjoy receiving attention. However, that feeling does not last long. Her lack of discipline takes its toll, and June makes several mistakes throughout the performance. She is now frightened and embarrassed, but unable to stop playing. She knows the outcome that awaits her is filled with shame and judgment from the audience and, especially, from her own mother.