Answer:
Monsieur Ratignolle's reaction to Arobin's remark reveals:
D. Monsieur Ratignolle is a traditional family man, unable to understand Arobin's unconventional choices.
Explanation:
In Kate Chopin's "The Awakening", characters Monsieur Alphonse Ratignolle and Alcée Arobin seem to function as each other's foil. That is, they are each other's opposite, one seeming to enhance the qualities of the other precisely because of such difference.
<u>Arobin is a womanizer - a Don Juan type. He has a more carefree way of viewing and facing life. As a matter of fact, he becomes the main character's - Edna - lover. On the other hand, Monsieur Ratignolle is a role model of character and faithfulness. He and his wife seem to represent the ideal married couple. Ratignolle is regarded by his community as an example of integrity.</u>
With that in mind, we can easily choose letter D as the best option: Monsieur Ratignolle is a traditional family man, unable to understand Arobin's unconventional choices.
To provide comic relief is the correct choice. In these lines, what is basically happening is that old men are just itching to fight one another. Lady Capulet is the only one who seemingly acknowledges the fact that both of the heads of the houses are too old to fight with swords, and jokingly points out that "a sword? what you need is a crutch."
If you have read the entire play, this does not foreshadow the terrible tragedy of the fall of Romeo and Juliet. This is about Capulet and Montague, and neither end up dying or fighting each other with swords by the end of the play. This also does not tell you anything about the setting of the story, and from these lines, I would not even realize that they were simply at a party. This also does not help build much suspense, even though this looks like an acceptable answer because it is not building up to anything. Lady Capulet immediately shoots down his idea to fight Montague with his sword, and they never end up physically fighting later on.
The correct answer is:
D. Mr. Bennet: Verbal Irony
Verbal irony is defined as an intentional product of the speaker, and is contradictory to his/her emotions and actions. Mr. Bennet was asked if he had any compassion abour Elizabeth poor nerves, then he gave her this sarcastic answer, where the author counts on the reader intelligence to understand what Mr. Bennet really wanted to say.
