Read the following English translation of an excerpt from the poem "You Want Me White" ("Tú me quieres blanca") by the Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni:
"You want me white,
you want me of foam,
you want me of mother-of-pearl.
That I be a lily
chaste above all,
of perfume micro-thin,
corolla closed."
Which of the following best describes the function of the metaphors "white," "foam," and "lily" in the passage?
- They symbolize the unrealistic and restrictive standards of purity expected of the speaker.Cevap
- BThey literally describe the physical beauty of coastal landscapes and garden flowers.
- CThey express the speaker's personal desire to escape to a peaceful, rural environment.
- DThey establish a cheerful and lighthearted mood that celebrates romantic affection.
Cevap
They symbolize the unrealistic and restrictive standards of purity expected of the speaker.
The option stating that these terms symbolize the unrealistic and restrictive standards of purity expected of the speaker is correct. In Alfonsina Storni's poem, "white," "foam," "mother-of-pearl," and "lily" serve as metaphors for absolute purity and chastity. The repetition of "you want me" underscores that these are external, societal demands placed upon the speaker, which the poem goes on to critique as hypocritical.
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Identifying the symbolic function of metaphors in a literary text