Read the excerpt from "Elegy for the Native Guards.” Inside we follow the ranger, hurried though we are to get to the beach. He tells of graves lost in the Gulf, the island split on half when Hurricane Camille hit, shows us casemates, cannons, the store that sells souvenirs, tokens of history long buried. The Daughters of the Confederacy has placed a plaque here, at the fort’s entrance— each Confederate soldier’s name raised hard in bronze; no names carved for the Native Guards— 2nd Regiment, Union men, black phalanx. What is monument to their legacy? Which universal theme is reflected in the excerpt?
Answer
A
the experience of oppression
B
the individual’s search for home
C
the human capacity for violence
D
the impact of the past on the present
Explanation
The excerpt describes how the fort’s history is represented in the present: Confederate soldiers’ names are commemorated on a plaque, while the Native Guards—Black Union soldiers—are left unnamed. This contrast shows how the past continues to shape present-day memory and recognition. The universal theme is the impact of the past on the present.
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