The nineteenth-century realism movement emerged as a reaction to the romantic period. What subject did realism focus on?

Realism revolted against the exotic subject matter and the exaggerated emotionalism and drama of the Romantic movement. Instead, it sought to portray real and typical contemporary people and situations with truth and accuracy, and not avoiding unpleasant or sordid aspects of life.

Explanation:

Termed as the ‘Age of Revolution” in reaction to the 'Age of Enlightenment’. One of the Romantic period’s characteristics was the expression of strong senses, emotions, and feelings in literary, art and music. Romantics rejected the idea of deduction – the process of gaining knowledge by using logic or reason; rather, they believe that it is gained through intuition, the ‘gut feeling’ – knowing something through natural feeling as guidance without evidence. In turn, this period emphasizes more on exaggerated emotions of awe, apprehension, horror and terror which intensifies the subjective perspective of one’s experiences.

- "the answers are a and b.  

when cullen speaks of planting while others reap, and standing "abject and mute," he is speaking about the racial injustices present in american society. as these injustices have changed over time, the american identity  has also shifted. those changes are, in turn, reflected in american literature."