Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu. Read the excerpt from "Thoughts on the Works of Providence" by Phillis Wheat
ley and complete the sentence that follows. Arise, my soul, on wings enraptur'd, rise To praise the monarch of the earth and skies, Whose goodness and beneficence appear As round its centre moves the rolling year, Or when the morning glows with rosy charms, Or the sun slumbers in the ocean's arms: Of light divine be a rich portion lent To guide my soul, and favour my intent. The excerpt has the characteristics of a poem, including its usage of and its style of language.
The excerpt has the characteristics of a Neoclassical poem, including its usage of heroic couplets and its elevated style of language.
Explanation:
The poem presented in the question above has characteristics of neoclassicist poetry. Neoclassicism was an artistic movement that began in Europe and aimed to retake classical ideas, opposing exaggeration, modernities and complexities. Within literature, this artistic style encouraged the use of elaborate words, but within a simple simplicity that allowed a greater approximation between the public and the writing. One of the main features of this period was the use of heroic couplets, as can be seen in the poem above through the presence of a pair of rhymed lines in the iambic pentameter.
