Read the following poem carefully before answering the question.
The Scribe of the Archive
I ink the names of kings who left no trace,
And trace the boundaries of forgotten lands;
I give the ancient dead a quiet face,
And place the faded scrolls in patient hands.
How grand, they say, to hold the keys of time,
To walk with phantoms through the dusty hall!
Yet in this chamber of decay and rhyme,
I only watch the shadows rise and fall.
No crown I save can warm this freezing stone,
No charted empire yields a breath of air;
I write of thousand lives, yet sit alone,
Enslaved to histories I cannot share.
Which of the following best describes the shift in the speaker's attitude toward their role as a scribe?
- systematic dedication to weary disillusionmentAnswer
- Bfrustrated resentment to joyful acceptance of history
- Cscholarly pride that remains completely unchanged throughout the work
- Dthe poet's personal regret for choosing a career in creative writing rather than history
- Eobjective historical analysis that avoids expressing any personal emotion
Answer
The speaker's attitude shifts from systematic dedication to weary disillusionment.
The correct answer describes the movement from systematic dedication to weary disillusionment. In the first stanza, the speaker outlines their duties with calm and organized verbs. However, starting with the word 'Yet' in the second stanza, the speaker shifts to describing their isolation and the cold reality of their work, concluding that they are 'enslaved' and 'alone,' which demonstrates a clear shift toward weary disillusionment.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Tracking tonal shifts and speaker attitude over the course of a poem
Estimated Time:1m 0s