Question

there are 19 lines in this poem. the poem is numbered every 5 lines.

so much happiness

it is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.
with sadness there is something to rub against,
a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.
when the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,
something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.

but happiness floats.
it doesn’t need you to hold it down.
it doesn’t need anything.
happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,
and disappears when it wants to.
you are happy either way.
even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house
and now live over a quarry of noise and dust
cannot make you unhappy.
everything has a life of its own.
i woke up filled with possibilities
of coffee cake and ripe peaches,
and love even the floor which needs to be swept,
the stained linens and scratched records...

when there is no place large enough
to contain so much happiness,
you sing. you lift your hands, and it flows out of you
into everything you touch. you are not responsible.
you take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit for the moon.

in lines 12–13, how does the comparison between the speaker’s old and new homes impact meaning?

1. the comparison demonstrates the fact that happiness will come and go in a person’s life.

1. the comparison shows that happiness can be found in different phases of a person’s life.

1. the comparison reveals that happiness is dependent on a person’s ability to ignore troubles.

1. the comparison emphasizes that happiness influences a person’s perception of a bad situation.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The poem's comparison of old (peaceful tree house) and new (noisy, dusty) homes doesn't focus on happiness coming and going, but on finding happiness regardless. Eliminate 1.
• Option 2: The speaker was happy in the peaceful tree house and remains happy in the noisy, dusty home. This shows happiness can be found in different life phases (old and new home represent different phases). This matches.
• Option 3: The poem doesn't suggest happiness depends on ignoring troubles. The comparison is about different living situations, not ignoring troubles. Eliminate 3.
• Option 4: The comparison isn't about happiness influencing perception of a bad situation, but about being happy in different situations. Eliminate 4.

Answer:

1. The comparison shows that happiness can be found in different phases of a person’s life.