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Difficulty: HardSymbolism and Motifs

Read the following poem carefully before choosing your answer.

The Alabaster Quarry

We carved the silent white from underground,
Deep in the hill where no bird ever sang,
And shaped the block before the hammer rang
With any echo of a human sound.
But now the statue in the public square,
Greyed by the soot of twenty smoky years,
Weeps only black and slow-descending tears
Into the coldness of the winter air.
The marble that was virgin in the dark
Forgets the quiet of its mountain home,
And stands a beacon for the gathering storm,
Marking the city with a fractured scar.

Over the course of the poem, how does the symbolic significance of the marble shift?

  1. A
    From a standard emblem of moral righteousness to a warning against personal greed and vanity
  2. B
    From the poet’s nostalgia for their youthful innocence to their frustration with the publishing industry
  3. C
    From the geological purity of underground rock to the chemical reaction of soot on public monuments
  4. From an untouched, tranquil state of isolation to a corrupted civic monument that portends societal decayAnswer
  5. E
    From a triumphant monument celebrating civic pride to a static representation of resilience that remains unchanged by pollution

Answer

From an untouched, tranquil state of isolation to a corrupted civic monument that portends societal decay
The correct answer is correct because the marble begins as an untouched, tranquil entity in a silent mountain quarry, representing undisturbed purity. By the end of the poem, it has been moved to an urban public square where it accumulates industrial soot, weeps black tears, and serves as a warning sign of an approaching storm, effectively shifting its symbolic function to represent the corruption and decay of civilization.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the opening stanza to identify the initial symbolic state of the marble.
The marble is described as 'silent white' in a quiet, isolated mountain ('where no bird ever sang') before human intervention, symbolizing pure potential and untamed purity.
Establishing the baseline meaning of a symbol is necessary to track its evolution.
2
Examine the second stanza to determine how the setting change affects the symbol.
Moved to a 'public square' in the city, the statue is stained by 'soot' and 'weeps only black... tears,' showing corruption and distress caused by human civilization.
Tracking shifts in description and setting reveals shifts in symbolic value.
3
Analyze the final stanza to identify the final symbolic function of the marble.
The marble 'stands a beacon for the gathering storm' and marks the city with a 'fractured scar,' symbolizing impending societal collapse and permanent damage.
The conclusion of the poem solidifies the trajectory of the symbolic shift.

Key Concept

Analyzing how a symbol's meaning shifts over the course of a poem based on contextual imagery and setting changes.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Symbolism and Motifs

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