Spenser’s “sonnet 75”: "Vain man, said she, that dost in vain assay a mortal thing so to immortalize; For I myself shall like to this decay, And eke my name be wiped out likewise.

Lines from Donne’s "holy sonnet 10”: one short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

Which statement best describes how the sonnets convey the idea of mortality?

a. in both sonnets, the speakers seek to understand why mortality is so final and unavoidable.

b. in both sonnets, the speakers say that people need to be immortalized to be remembered after death.

c. the speaker in the first sonnet seeks immortality, while the speaker in the second emphasizes the need to accept mortality.

d. the speaker in the first sonnet says mortality is inevitable, while the speaker in the second emphasizes that the soul continues on.

Answer:

<u>c. the speaker in the first sonnet seeks immortality, while the speaker in the second emphasizes the need to accept mortality.</u>

<u>Explanation</u>:

Interestingly, both speakers appear to be speaking figuratively although having different viewpoints. The speaker in the first sonnet appears to seek immortality which is made evident by the words, "in vain assay a mortal thing so to immortalize."

While the second speaker emphasizes the need to accept mortality which is made evident by the words, "thou shalt die."

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3 years ago