What are the negative things that the poet mentions in the poem? How do they affect human life? How can beauty help us overcome them?
Answer as written by the student:
The negative things that the poet mentions in the poem are sadness, hopelessness, lack of noble qualities, and unhealthy and wicked lifestyle. These things affect human life by making it miserable, dull, and meaningless.
Beauty can help us overcome them by giving us joy, inspiration, and hope . Beauty can also remind us of the goodness and glory of life and nature.
Step-by-step explanation of the answer:
To answer a comprehension question, you have to look for clues that tell you the answer in the poem. 🔍
- Sometimes, the clues are direct and explicit, which means they are clearly stated in the poem. For example, “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever” or “Some shape of beauty moves away the pall”.
- Other times, the clues are indirect and implicit, which means they are suggested or implied in the poem. For example, “And such too is the grandeur of the dooms” or “Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing”.
- In this question, the clues are both direct and indirect, which show how the poet contrasts beauty and negativity in the poem. 🌹
- The poet mentions several negative things in the poem, such as sadness (“the pall”), hopelessness (“the despondence”), lack of noble qualities (“the selfish and the low”), and unhealthy and wicked lifestyle (“the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways”). These clues are mostly indirect and implicit, as they use metaphors and symbols to describe the negative aspects of human life. 🥀
- The poet also explains how these negative things affect human life by making it miserable, dull, and meaningless. For example, he says that “our minds are nourished” by beauty, implying that without beauty our minds would be starved and empty. He also says that “our hearts forget to beat” without beauty, implying that without beauty our hearts would be lifeless and cold. These clues are also mostly indirect and implicit, as they use hyperbole and personification to emphasize the impact of negativity on human life. 💔
- The poet then shows how beauty can help us overcome these negative things by giving us joy, inspiration, and hope. For example, he says that “a thing of beauty is a joy for ever”, meaning that beauty can make us happy and content for a long time. He also says that “some shape of beauty moves away the pall”, meaning that beauty can dispel our sadness and gloom. He also says that “beauty is nature’s boast”, meaning that beauty can remind us of the goodness and glory of life and nature. These clues are mostly direct and explicit, as they use simple and positive language to praise beauty and its effects on human life. 💖
Therefore, based on these clues, we can give the answer to the question as follows: The negative things that the poet mentions in the poem are sadness, hopelessness, lack of noble qualities, and unhealthy and wicked lifestyle. These things affect human life by making it miserable, dull, and meaningless. Beauty can help us overcome them by giving us joy, inspiration, and hope. Beauty can also remind us of the goodness and glory of life and nature. ✍️