Question

Read the poem below and answer the question.

Answer 1

I believe that it is B) how well they understood/its human position

Answer 2

Answer:

B) “how well they understood/ Its human position”.

Explanation:

"Musee des Beaux Arts" by Wystan Hugh Auden is a free verse poem with no rhythm or meter form. It's 21-lined poem shows the how indifferent people can be with other's misfortunes or sufferings.

In the poem, Auden emphasizes the marginal nature of an individual's sufferings to the opinion of the rest of the world. Referencing to the painting of Icarus drowning in the sea, he said that the sailor or farmer won't be curious about the drowning boy. He would care less, more eager to reach his destination. While poets are imagining extraordinary events, the world seems more interested in their mundane works, eager to be done with whatever is needed to be done. The above excerpt in the question shows how well the paintings or works of art managed to symbolize or understand the human situation or position.