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Difficulty: MediumTone, Voice, and Speaker Persona

Read the following excerpt from George Herbert's poem "The Collar" (1633) carefully:

I struck the board, and cried, "No more;
I will abroad!
What? shall I ever sigh and pine?
My lines and life are free, free as the road,
5 Loose as the wind, as large as store.
Shall I be still in suit?
Have I no harvest but a thorn
To let me blood, and not restore
What I have lost with cordial fruit?
10 Sure there was wine
Before my sighs did dry it; there was corn
Before my tears did drown it.
Is the year lost to me?
Have I no bays to crown it,
15 No flowers, no garlands gay? All blasted?
All wasted?"

The series of rhetorical questions in lines 6��16 ("Shall I... wasted?") contributes to the speaker's persona by doing which of the following?

  1. A
    representing a logical, detached evaluation of the speaker's past career choices
  2. B
    illustrating the poet's personal request for the reader to pity their spiritual journey
  3. C
    reflecting an indifferent stance toward material rewards and public acclaim
  4. emphasizing the speaker's acute resentment and frustration over a perceived lack of fulfillmentAnswer
  5. E
    marking a sudden transition from intense indignation to calm resignation

Answer

emphasizing the speaker's acute resentment and frustration over a perceived lack of fulfillment
The correct option is the one stating that the questions emphasize the speaker's acute resentment and frustration over a perceived lack of fulfillment. In lines 6–16, the speaker laments that their life has yielded 'no harvest but a thorn' and asks whether there are 'no bays to crown it,' expressing deep bitterness over their unrewarded efforts and restrictions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the speaker's tone and voice in lines 6–16.
The speaker uses emotionally charged words ('sighs', 'tears', 'blasted', 'wasted') to describe their state.
Understanding the emotional tone is essential for interpreting the speaker's persona.
2
Determine the function of the rhetorical questions.
The questions ('Shall I be still in suit?', 'Have I no harvest but a thorn?') express frustration at serving without reward or joy.
Identifying the purpose of these questions reveals how they construct the speaker's rebellious and resentful attitude.
3
Evaluate the choices based on the analysis.
The option describing the speaker's acute resentment over a lack of fulfillment is the only one supported by the text's tone and imagery.
Selecting the option that matches the text's tone avoids common interpretive errors such as conflating the poet with the speaker or ignoring connotations.

Key Concept

Analyzing Speaker Persona and Tone
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Topics

Tone, Voice, and Speaker Persona

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