Question

read the following excerpt from sonnet 97, how like a winter hath my absence been by william shakespeare: how like a winter hath my absence been from thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year! what freezings have i felt, what dark days seen! what old decembers bareness every where!1 1. william shakespeare, how like a winter hath my absence been, in shakespeares sonnets, ed. william j. rolfe (new york: harper & brothers, 1883), 95. which of the following is the most likely explanation for how the structure of the poem contributes to its meaning? a. the repetition of exclamation marks is part of the poems lyric structure and conveys that each comparison is highly emotional for the speaker. b. the image of freezings conveys that this is an excerpt from an epic poem and suggests that the speakers true love is cold and doesnt return his affection. c. the sequence of ideas from winter to fleeting year uses an epic structure to tell a complex story about the speakers relationship. d. the lack of rhyme between year and where shows that this poem is a lyric work in which the speaker feels too angry to write correctly.

Explanation:

The repetition of exclamation marks in the poem intensifies the emotions. In lyric poetry, which expresses personal emotions, this repetition emphasizes the speaker's strong - felt comparisons. The other options are incorrect as the poem is a sonnet (lyric), not an epic, and the lack of rhyme and the image of "freezings" are misinterpreted in the other choices.

Answer:

A. The repetition of exclamation marks is part of the poem's lyric structure and conveys that each comparison is highly emotional for the speaker.