Read the following poem carefully before choosing your answer.
The iron crank is rusted to the stone,
And dry leaves choke the throat where water rose;
A traveler might pass it by, alone,
And deem the well’s long history is closed.
(5) Yet bend your ear against the mossy lip:
Beneath the drift of autumn's dusty lease,
One hears the secret, slow, persistent drip—
A quiet pulse that will not grant us peace.
It does not care for sun or changing skies,
(10) But keeps its cold, subterranean vow,
A hidden source that silently defies
The superficial drought that holds us now.
Which of the following best characterizes the transition in the speaker's attitude over the course of the poem?
- Adetached, literal reporting of decay to a despairing lament over the inevitability of death
- Bnostalgic longing for the well's past utility to anger at the poet's own aging process
- melancholy dismissal of an abandoned object to a respectful appreciation of its hidden vitalityAnswer
- Dobjective classification of ruined machinery to a mechanical explanation of hydraulic systems
- Eindifference toward a commonplace object to a literal warning about the dangers of a dry season
Answer
The speaker's attitude transitions from a melancholy dismissal of an abandoned object to a respectful appreciation of its hidden vitality.
The correct answer accurately traces the progression from the first stanza's melancholy focus on the abandoned well to the subsequent stanzas' appreciation of the water's secret endurance and defiance of the drought.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Analyzing shifts in tone and attitude in poetry