Question

What is the significance of the phrase "Two years, ten years" in line 7?

Answer 1

Answer:

C). The phrase suggests that people quickly forget the past.

Explanation:

Carl Sandburg's popular poem 'Grass' primarily intends to convey that however 'serenity of nature(represented through grass) obscures the physical horror of the wars' but the emotional wounds remain for years and only time can erase that.(implying that nature does its job, but humans need to learn from their mistakes).

As per the question, the phrase 'Two years, ten years' signifies that 'people forget their past quickly'(reflecting the theme of 'time and nature erasing the past' when the passengers travelling through the battlefields have no idea of what occurred in the past). But Sandburg wishes that they need to remember or recall the past horrors in order to learn from them. Thus, option C is the correct answer.

Answer 2

I'd say C, The phrase suggests that people quickly forget the past

He said .. Two years, ten years, and the passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now?

The questions they asked the conductor lead me to my conclusion.