Read the following poem by Emma Lazarus carefully before choosing your answer.
The New Colossus (1883)
[1] Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
[2] With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
[3] Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
[4] A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
[5] Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
[6] Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
[7] Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
[8] The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
[9] 'Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!' cries she
[10] With silent lips. 'Give me your tired, your poor,
[11] Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
[12] The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
[13] Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
[14] I lift my lamp beside the golden door!'
Which of the following best describes the function of the transition (the volta) between the octave and the sestet (lines 8-9)?
- It transitions the poem from a descriptive depiction of the statue's physical majesty to a direct, dramatic address that gives voice to her nurturing mission.Answer
- BIt maintains a uniform tone of quiet contemplation, showing that the statue's silent stance is identical in meaning to her spoken words.
- CIt creates a grammatical disruption by forcing the reader to stop mid-clause due to the abrupt enjambment between the two sections.
- DIt introduces an apostrophe and personification primarily to demonstrate the speaker's familiarity with classical poetic figures of speech.
- EIt marks the point where the poet directly enters the text to voice her personal political opinions to contemporary readers.