Question

read the passage from black boy.

from the white landowners above him there had not been handed to him a chance to learn the meaning of loyalty, of sentiment, of tradition. joy was as unknown to him as was despair. as a creature of the earth, he endured, hearty, whole, seemingly indestructible, with no regrets and no hope. he asked easy, drawling questions about me, his other son, his wife, and he laughed, amused, when i informed him of their destinies. i forgave him, and pitied him as my eyes looked past him to the unpainted wooden shack.

what does this excerpt suggest?

• as an adult, wright has a strong positive regard for his father and wants to get to know him.
• as an adult, wright believes he will never fully accept the way his father treated him.
• as an adult, wright is disgusted with his father’s ignorance and his flippant manner.
• as an adult, wright has a different perspective of his father than he did when he was a child.

Explanation:

The excerpt shows Wright forgiving and pitying his father, recognizing the dehumanizing conditions (lack of chance to learn loyalty/sentiment, living in an unpainted shack) that shaped his father's behavior. This indicates a mature, empathetic view that differs from a likely more hurt or resentful childhood perspective. The other options are incorrect: he does not have strong positive regard (first option), he does forgive so he accepts the context (second option), and he pities rather than feels disgust (third option).

Answer:

As an adult, Wright has a different perspective of his father than he did when he was a child.