Student Question
Why didn't Rip understand the question about voting in "Rip Van Winkle"?
Quick answer:
Rip Van Winkle is confused by a question about voting because he has been asleep for 20 years. During his sleep, the American colonies transformed from being under British rule to becoming part of the United States. Consequently, Rip had likely never voted before due to limited colonial democracy and was unaware of the new political parties that emerged during his absence.
Rip Van Winkle does not understand when he is asked about who he voted for. The reason he does not understand is because he has been asleep for 20 years. When he fell asleep, the place where he lived was still a colony of Great Britain. When he woke up, it was part of the new United States of America.
This means that, when he fell asleep, he had probably never voted before because there was much less democracy when England controlled the thirteen colonies. He also does not have any idea about the names of the political parties because when he fell asleep they did not exist.
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