Question

thinking about meaning
when i was down beside the sea
a wooden spade they gave to me
to dig the sandy shore.
my holes were empty like a cup,
in every hole the sea came up
till it could come no more.
—“at the sea-side,”
robert louis stevenson
what is the central idea of the poem? choose the best answer.
○ the beach is a dangerous place.
○ our work will all be washed away, but it is not a sad thing.
○ the ocean is a mean and uncaring part of nature.
○ it is sad to think that every person’s work will eventually be washed away.

Explanation:

To determine the central idea, analyze the poem: The speaker digs holes at the beach, and the sea fills them. Let's evaluate each option:

• "The beach is a dangerous place": The poem doesn't mention danger, so eliminate.
• "Our work will all be washed away, but it is not a sad thing": The poem shows the holes (work) being filled by the sea, but there's no sadness—just a natural process. This fits.
• "The ocean is a mean and uncaring part of nature": The poem doesn't portray the ocean as mean; it's a natural action, so eliminate.
• "It is sad to think that every person’s work will eventually be washed away": The poem has no tone of sadness about the work being washed away, so eliminate.

Answer:

B. Our work will all be washed away, but it is not a sad thing.