8.5: Pursuing the Dream as a Central Idea in Poetry
Question 9 • (OC27) ENG 4-1001400-S2-VRobinson-VOL7006P
Read the poem "The Death of Autumn" by Edna St. Vincent Millay.When reeds are dead and a straw to thatch the marshes,And feathered pampas-grass rides into the windLike aged warriors westward, tragic, thinnedOf half their tribe, and over the flattened rushes,Stripped of its secret, open, stark and bleak,Blackens afar the half-forgotten creek,—Then leans on me the weight of the year, and crushesMy heart. I know that Beauty must ail and die,And will be born again,—but ah, to seeBeauty stiffened, staring up at the sky!Oh, Autumn! Autumn!—What is the Spring to me?What is the central idea of this poem?
Answer
A
When the seasons change, animals migrate to new homes.
B
When natural habitats are destroyed, plants and animals suffer.
C
Nature’s changes in autumn are a sad reminder of the cycle of life.
D
Nature’s colors in autumn are not as bright as they are in spring.
Explanation
The speaker describes autumn reeds and grasses as dead, stripped, and bleak, then says the season’s weight crushes her heart. She understands that beauty will be born again in spring, but the sight of it dying still makes her sad. This supports C: nature’s changes in autumn are a sad reminder of the cycle of life.
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