Question

The question below refers to the selection “Sonnet 43” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In "Sonnet 43," the speaker suggests that love has a. sprung from her religious faith. c. caused her to question her religious faith. b. been challenged by her religious faith. d. strengthened, or reaffirmed, her religious faith.

Answer 1

The answer is:

• D. strengthened, or reaffirmed, her religious faith.

• In the verses:

"I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath",

the speaker refers to a lost love she once had for the saints and that now, it has returned.

Moreover:

• In the verses:

"I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith",

the speaker compares a child's faith, which is pure and innocent, with her faith or religious life to emphasize how the love she feels now can change everything.

• Option A can not be correct since the poem implies that she had faith as a child.
• Option B is not  correct because her love has not been challenged by faith.
• There is no evidence in the poem for Option C to be accurate.