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Question

Difficulty: MediumSetting and Historical Context

Read the following poem carefully before choosing your answer:

The Conservatory

Under the vaulted ribs of iron-held glass,
The captive palms of Congo droop and sigh,
Where damp heat mimics what has come to pass
Beneath a colder, pale northern sky.
Here orchids climb in mock-triumphant bloom,
Fed by the steam of coal-fired pipes below,
To weave a green illusion in the room,
While outside, London’s soot begins to snow.
The lady walks in silk of peacock blue,
And clips a stem of foreign jasmine white,
Oblivious to the moisture and the dew
Wrung from a land she’ll never see by night.
The glass confines this miniature domain,
A conquered wilderness in iron bound.

In the poem, how does the setting of the conservatory primarily function to comment on the broader historical context of the era?

  1. A
    provide a realistic physical backdrop that contrasts the natural growth of flowers with the soot of London
  2. B
    chronicle the routine maintenance of exotic flora under the care of a wealthy lady
  3. represent the domestic containment and control of foreign territories and resources for imperial leisureAnswer
  4. D
    illustrate the poet’s personal nostalgia for childhood visits to public botanical gardens
  5. E
    allude to the Garden of Eden to symbolize the spiritual purity of the lady's domestic life

Answer

represent the domestic containment and control of foreign territories and resources for imperial leisure
The setting of the conservatory, with its artificial climate and imported plants ('captive palms of Congo', 'foreign jasmine'), serves as a metaphor for the Victorian British Empire's subjugation and containment of foreign territories for domestic leisure. The final description of the setting as a 'conquered wilderness in iron bound' reinforces this thematic link.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine setting details in the poem.
Identify details such as 'captive palms of Congo', 'foreign jasmine', and 'conquered wilderness in iron bound'.
Establishing the specific elements of the setting is necessary for understanding its symbolic role.
2
Relate these setting elements to the historical context.
Connect the imported plants and the industrial structure of the conservatory to Victorian imperialism and industrial progress.
Setting details in AP Literature exams are frequently linked to the cultural and political atmosphere of the time period.
3
Synthesize the function of the setting.
Determine that enclosing these plants in an artificial environment represents the domestication of colonized regions for wealthy leisure.
This interpretation explains the theme of control and subjugation running through the poem.

Key Concept

Analyzing how setting and historical context interact to shape theme in a poem
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Setting and Historical Context

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