In "ali and the magic stew," why are the passersby so mean to ali when he asks them for money so that he can buy ingredients for the stew? a. they do not want ali's father to get well because he has been cruel to them in the past. b. they think that ali is a beggar who is lying about his sick father just to get their money. c. they recognize ali as the selfish and spoiled son of a local merchant. d. they know that the stew will not actually heal ali's father and that the beggar has lied to him.

The correct answer is B. Even though Ali has been spoiled and selfish, passersby are mean to him because they do not believe his father is sick. They suppose he is lying in order to take money out of people.

Actually, a person says "A dying father! There's a new one! What lies these pigs invent to take our gold."

the answer is:  

he is voicing feelings shared by all humans regardless of race.

in paul laurence dunbar's poem "we wear the mask," he replicates the words mask and we to emphasize how people in general -not just black americans- hide their true feelings. he suggests the masks cover people's faces and eyes, which are the main parts that display their emotions. he also thinks people's pain conceal behind those masks, so that they cannot see reality and nobody is able to see one another's sorrow.

yes, it can be both.