The poem’s primary assertion about love concerns its
a. intensity and immediacy
b. ability to transform the beloved
c. tendency to burn whatever it touches
d. acceptance of the flaws of the beloved
e. brightness that makes everything else dull.
This is the passage:
"Yet, love, mere love, is beautiful indeed
And worthy of acceptation. Fire is bright,
Let temple burn, or flax; an equal light
Leaps in the flame from cedar-plank or weed:
And love is fire. And when I say at need
I love thee . . . mark! . . . I love thee—in thy sight
I stand transfigured, glorified aright,
With conscience of the new rays that proceed
Out of my face toward thine. There’s nothing low
In love, when love the lowest: meanest creatures
Who love God, God accepts while loving so.
And what I feel, across the inferior features
Of what I am, doth flash itself, and show
How that great work of Love enhances Nature’s"
I believe it is D but I would like a second opinion
what was the answer?
The text "inferior features of what I am" best correlates with love transforms the beloved. Do you agree?
Yes, I'm quite torn between the two options and both seem correct.
b
I disagree.
Read the last three lines without pausing:
"And what I feel, across the inferior features of what I am, doth flash itself, and show how that great work of Love enhances Nature’s."
What do you think she means by "inferior features of what I am"?
It's either b or d. I'd be hard-pressed to choose between them! Think about both of those, and try applying each meaning to those last lines.
To determine the primary assertion about love in the poem, we need to analyze the poetic language and imagery used. The passage in the poem seems to convey a few different ideas about love.
First, it suggests that love is beautiful and worthy of acceptance, much like fire can be bright and captivating. This implies that love has an intensity and immediacy (option A) that makes it appealing and powerful. The speaker compares love to fire, stating that just as fire can burn anything it touches, love also has the ability to transform the beloved (option B).
However, the passage does not directly state that love burns whatever it touches (option C). Instead, it focuses more on the equal light that emerges from different materials when they burn.
Option D suggests that love accepts the flaws of the beloved, which is not explicitly addressed in the passage.
Option E reflects the brightness of love that makes everything else dull. Although the passage mentions that love is fire and can transfigure the speaker, it does not directly express that love makes everything else dull.
Considering these points, the closest assertion about love in the passage is option A: its intensity and immediacy. The poem emphasizes the power and impact of love, comparing it to the brightness of fire and how it can transfigure the speaker.