Question

question 1 of 10
read the second stanza of wallace stevenss \the anecdote of the jar\
below:

the wilderness rose up to the jar,
and sprawled around, no longer wild.
the jar was round upon the ground
and tall and of a port in air.

which of these is the best paraphrase of the stanza?

a. the wilderness started to take over the jar and became tame, as
the jar tried to escape the wilderness’s grasp.

b. the wilderness grew up and all around the jar as the jar grew taller
like a port in the air, then the wilderness became tame.

c. the wilderness surrounded the jar and seemed no longer wild in
the presence of the tall, round jar that was like a port.

d. the wilderness represents untouched nature, and the jar
represents man - made objects that threatened to overtake nature.

Explanation:

• Option A misrepresents the poem: the wilderness does not take over the jar, nor does the jar try to escape.
• Option B is incorrect because the jar does not "grow taller"; it is described as tall from the start, and the order of events is wrong.
• Option C accurately restates the stanza: it notes the wilderness surrounds the jar and loses its wildness, while the jar is round, tall, and like a port.
• Option D is an interpretation of symbols, not a paraphrase of the stanza's literal content.

Answer:

C. The wilderness surrounded the jar and seemed no longer wild in the presence of the tall, round jar that was like a port.