Read the following poem:
The lighthouse stands, a whitewashed sentinel
Shorn of its flame, its copper dome turned green,
Where once the oily hiss of kerosene
Fed the great lens that threw a golden spell.
Now children climb the spiral iron stair
To buy postcards and plastic shells below,
While tourists watch the quiet water flow
Across the bay, so placid and so fair.
Yet when the fog rolls thick, a silent ghost,
The masonry still hums with phantom strain,
As if it longs to warn the vanished host
Of timbered wrecks that rotted in the rain;
Its dark, cold eye, though blind to sea and coast,
Remembers storms no ledger could explain.
Which of the following best describes the shift in tone that occurs after line 8?
- Aa uniform, nostalgic lament for the lost era of manual maritime navigation
- Bthe poet's personal regret over choosing a literary career rather than a life at sea
- a tranquil observation of the monument's domestic present to an intense, haunting engagement with its perilous pastAnswer
- Da chronological description of the visitors climbing the stairs to a detailed inventory of the shipwrecks in the bay
- Ethe tourists' superficial enjoyment of the scenery to the author's moral condemnation of their ignorance
Answer
The transition in the poem's tone after line 8 primarily serves to highlight a shift from a tranquil observation of the monument's domestic present to an intense, haunting engagement with its perilous past.
The correct answer shows a transition from the peaceful, domestic present of the decommissioned lighthouse to a haunting, atmospheric recollection of its stormy, purposeful past. This shift is signaled by the transition word 'Yet' in line 9, moving from tourist activities to phantom strains and rotted wrecks.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Contrasts and Tonal Shifts