“Mutability” and “A Defence of Poetry” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — Quiz
Question 4 • British Literature and Composition
Read the fourth stanza from "Mutability.” It is the same!—For, be it joy or sorrow, The path of its departure still is free: Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow; Nought may endure but Mutability. What is emphasized by Shelley’s metaphorical statement that "the path of its departure still is free”?
Answer
A
Time passes by very quickly.
B
Emotions are ever changing.
C
No path is ever the same.
D
All people feel joy and sorrow.
Explanation
The stanza says that whether a person feels joy or sorrow, that feeling can depart freely. This metaphor emphasizes that emotions do not last and are always changing. So the best answer is “Emotions are ever changing.”
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