Question

1.2.7 quiz: analyze modern poetry
read the third stanza of wallace stevenss \the anecdote of the jar\ below:
the jar took dominion everywhere.
the jar was gray and bare.
it did not give of bird or bush,
like nothing else in tennessee.
which of these is the best paraphrase of the stanza?
a. the jar was overtaken by the wilderness, such as birds and bushes, which were prominent in tennessee.
b. the jar became powerful though it was just a jar, also, unlike most things in tennessee, it had nothing in common with nature.
c. the empty jar became king of the world but did not give birds refuge like most places in tennessee.
d. the power of the jar represents man - made things that threaten to overtake our natural world

Explanation:

The line "took dominion everywhere" implies the jar became powerful. "It did not give of bird or bush" shows it has no natural - like elements. "Like nothing else in Tennessee" emphasizes its uniqueness in contrast to nature in Tennessee. Option B best captures these ideas.

Answer:

B. The jar became powerful though it was just a jar, also, unlike most things in Tennessee, it had nothing in common with nature.