Read the following excerpt from Sandra Cisneros’s story "Mericans." They’re not from here. Ladies don’t come to church dressed i
n pants. And everybody knows men aren’t supposed to wear shorts. Which of the following statements best explains the irony expressed in this excerpt? The narrator is a child and is therefore not in the position to judge any adult’s choice of wardrobe. While the narrator expresses disdain for the tourists’ choice of clothes, their outfits are, in fact, perfectly suitable for church. The man and woman are highly respected natives to the region, while the narrator is not even from the area. The narrator judges the inappropriate attire of the Americans while her own behavior is inappropriate as well.
The narrator judges the inappropriate attire of the Americans while her own behavior is inappropriate as well.
Explanation:
Irony is the use of language to signify something but, in reality, it means the different or even opposite from what was said. This rhetorical device may be verbal irony, situational irony, or even dramatic irony.
Sandra Cisneros's "Mericans," tells the short story of two young children (including the narrator) who are of Mexican descent and delves into the identity crisis, stuck between the new American culture and the traditional Mexican culture. And the sentence that is ironic is when she judges the inappropriate attire of the American lady and the man who were dressed in pants and the man in shorts. This is ironic because her behavior is also inappropriate, judging the man and woman based on their appearance.
