Reread the lines, "Trying to find ways to erase them out of our skin, / iron them out of our hair, this wild tangle of hair that
strangles air / You call them wild curls. I call them breathing. / Ancestors spiraling."
Who is the "them in these lines? Choose two options.
the speaker's ancestors
reflections of the sun
Dominicans
the speaker's curls
the children of children of fields
Elizabeth Acevedo's poem "Hair" is a powerful poem that delves into the issue of self acceptance and identity. In this poem, the writer narrates how the hair became a piece of personal identity that sets the Latinas apart and how they are expected to try to be like normal people, meaning the white people.
In the given lines, the speaker reveals how they, the speaker and her ancestors, tried hard to find ways to "straighten" their curls and be more like the white people. She also strongly points out the fact that while her ancestors<em> "call[ed] them wild curls, [I] call them breathing"</em>, showing her acceptance of who she really is and letter her natural hair be as it is.
Thus, the "them" in the given lines refer to the ancestors as well as her curls.
Connotation is an idea or feeling that a word evokes. If something has a positive connotation, it will evoke warm feelings. Meanwhile, something with a negative connotation will make someone feel less than pleasant.
