Question

Read the poem by Emily Dickinson.THE TULIPShe slept beneath a treeRemembered but by me.I touched her cradle mute;She recognized the foot,Put on her carmine suit, --And see!What does "put on her carmine suit" most likely mean?A. The red tulip opened its petals.B. The sleeping girl woke and put on a red swimming suit.C. The shoe that touched the tulip was red.D. The sun is setting and turning the western sky red.

Answer 1

Answer: I would contend that the right answer is the A) The red tulip opened its petals.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that Emily Dickinson was passionate about plants and flowers. She could identify many of them, and she often referred to them in her poems—roses, daisies, and so on. In this poem she is describing a solitary red tulip that lay beneath a tree. When the flower, protected by its cradle, felt the speaker's gentle touch, the flower "put on her carmine suit," that is, it opened its petals, as in recognition of the speaker's kind gesture.