问答题
Questions 1 to 6 are based on the following poem by Edmund Spencer.Sonnet 75 from AmorettiOne day I wrote her name upon the strand,But came the waves and washed it away:Again I wrote it with a second hand,But came the tide, and made my pains his prey." Vain man," said she, " that does in vain assay.A mortal thing so to immortalize,For I myself shall like to this decay,And also my name be wiped out likewise. "" Not so," said I, " let baser things deviseTo die in dust, but you shall live in fame:My verses your virtues rare shall eternize,And in heavens write your glorious name.Where whenas death shall all the world subdue,Our love shall live, and later life renew. "
问答题
What happens to what the speaker has written in the first four lines? What is the young woman"s response to what he has done?
【正确答案】正确答案：In this poem, the speaker wrote his beloved"s name on the sand, but it was washed away by the tide. He wrote her name again, but again the tide washed it away. The young woman then told him that he was working in vain, because it is impossible to make something immortal that is not meant to be immortal.
【答案解析】
问答题
In Lines 9-14, what does the speaker say his verses will do? What does the speaker say will live after death has "subdued" all the world?
【正确答案】正确答案：The speaker says his verses can eternize the virtues of his lover and write her name in heaven. So in this way, he believes the love between them can live after death has "subdued" all the world.
【答案解析】
问答题
To what time is the speaker referring in the last two lines? With what belief is he associating his love?
【正确答案】正确答案：In the last two lines, the time the speaker refers to is the end of the world, when death takes all lives of the world. And he believes his love is the only thing that can survive death and renew the life
【答案解析】
问答题
What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
【正确答案】正确答案：The rhyme scheme of this sonnet is abab bcbc cdcd ee, which mirrors the motion of the waves Spenser describes crashing continually against the strand.
【答案解析】
问答题
Spencer uses alliteration in this poem. Please give two examples of alliteration in the poem. Why does he use alliteration?
【正确答案】正确答案：The alliteration can be found in these lines; "But came the waves and washed it away" , and "My verses your virtues rare shall eternize". Waves and washed, verses and virtues are in alliteration. Alliteration in this sonnet serves two purposes; it is pleasing to the ear; then it emphasizes the words in which it occurs. The words wave, wash, verse and virtue are the keys for us to understand the theme of this poem.
【答案解析】
问答题
What is the theme of the poem?
【正确答案】正确答案：The theme of this poem is clear; No matter how short life is, the poem can immortalize love and life.