Read the excerpt from "Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith.
Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.
Which sentence describes the ambiguity in the excerpt?
It is unclear what the dead man is trying to say to the speaker.
It is unclear whether the dead man or someone else is the speaker.
The speaker seems uncertain about the identity of the dead man.
The speaker seems to know little about the life of the dead man.
Too bad the whole poem wasn't included.
Not Waving but Drowning
BY STEVIE SMITH
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.
Frankly, I don't think any of the answer choices is any good. I guess the closest is C, but even that's not very helpful.