Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardAllusions in Poetry

Read the following poem carefully:

The Prophet in the Marketplace

We watched her stand beside the granite sill,
Crying of fires no other eye could trace,
While commerce hummed and wagons climbed the hill,
And shadows lengthened on the market square.

We bartered wool and weighed the common gold,
Deaf to the rising wind that swept the bay,
And laughed to hear the frantic threat she told
Of towers fallen in a single day.

Like her who walked the wrecked and smoking street
Of Priam's town, she speaks to ears of stone,
Her truth a coin that buys no safe retreat,
Her vision left to burn and fade alone.

In the third stanza, the allusion to 'her who walked the wrecked and smoking street / Of Priam's town' primarily serves to do which of the following?

  1. A
    suggest that the woman is directly responsible for the impending downfall of the town she warns
  2. B
    introduce a shift from literal description to figurative language by employing a classical simile
  3. emphasize the tragic futility of the woman's warnings by aligning her isolation with a mythic archetype of unheeded prophecyAnswer
  4. D
    reveal the poet's personal regret for not having saved the historical city of Troy from destruction
  5. E
    demonstrate that the speaker shares the marketplace crowd's scornful attitude toward the woman's predictions

Answer

The allusion to Cassandra of Troy serves to emphasize the tragic futility of the woman's warnings by aligning her isolation with a mythic archetype of unheeded prophecy.
The correct answer is the option emphasizing the tragic futility of the woman's warnings. By referencing Cassandra—the Trojan princess cursed by Apollo to foresee the fall of Troy ('Priam's town') but never be believed—the speaker elevates the modern marketplace warning into a mythic archetype of unheeded truth. This highlights the tragic disconnect between the prophet's foresight and the crowd's stubborn indifference.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the allusion and its source in the third stanza.
The reference to 'her who walked the wrecked and smoking street / Of Priam's town' alludes to Cassandra, the mythological daughter of King Priam of Troy, who was cursed by Apollo to speak true prophecies but never be believed.
Recognizing the mythic background of the allusion is necessary to understand its connotative value and function.
2
Analyze the context of the poem to determine how this allusion relates to the woman in the marketplace.
Just as Cassandra cried of Troy's impending ruin to disbelieving citizens, the woman stands in the marketplace warning of 'fires' and 'towers fallen' while the crowd barters and mocks her.
Comparing the internal situation of the poem with the mythic parallel reveals the structural connection the speaker is establishing.
3
Evaluate the thematic effect of this comparison on the poem as a whole.
The comparison elevates the modern woman's isolation and the crowd's ignorance from a minor marketplace dispute to a tragic, archetypal struggle between prophecy and disbelief.
The final analytical step links the literary device (allusion) to its broader function in developing the poem's themes of isolation, futility, and collective blindness.

Key Concept

Allusions in Poetry
Estimated Time:2m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Allusions in Poetry

More questions from this topic