Question

Which line in the excerpt from “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson exposes the attitude of the Victorians toward idle people?

Answer 1

Answer:

"I'm assuming the whole first stanza is the correct answer: It little profits that an idle king, By this still hearth, among these barren crags,Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole. Unequal laws unto a savage race, That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me."

Explanation:

Ulysses announces that there is little point in his remaining home "by this still hearth" with his old spouse, doling out remunerations and disciplines for the anonymous masses who live in his kingdom.

Answer 2

1.
Clearly, the words there -- hoard, sleep, feed -- all refer to idleness. The words "a savage race" put next to "hoard", "sleep", and "feed" show that the Victorian mentality towards idle people is disapproval and disgust. They see idle people as less than they are for idleness is somewhat of a heinous crime, a mortal sin.