C
a solace of ripe plums
seeming to fill the air
They taste good to her
1. Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this poem.
In "To a Poor Old Woman," William Carlos Williams repeats the phrase "They taste good to her" four times.
How does this use of repetition affect the poem?
The repetition develops the poem's stunned, confused mood.
The repetition conveys the poem's increasingly desperate mood.
The repetition helps create the poem's calm, contemplative mood.
The repetition stresses the poem's exuberant, joyous mood.
2. Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this poem.
In "To a Poor Old Woman," how does the image of ripe plums "seeming to fill the air" affect the poem?
It indicates that the speaker is not really observing a woman eating plums, but is actually imagining the entire scene.
It makes clear to readers that the woman knows that she is being observed by the speaker as she eats.
It helps stress the idea that the woman, though poor and old, is greatly soothed by the simple pleasure of eating the plums.
It works to suggest the sound made by the woman eating the plums, which the speaker can hear from afar.
3. Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this poem.
In "To a Poor Old Woman," how does paper bag full of plums act as a symbol?
It represents the limits of human happiness, which stresses the poem's fatalistic tone.
It represents the mundaneness of everyday experience, which conveys the poem's indifferent tone.
It represents the simple pleasures that make life worth living, which helps give the poem its positive tone.
It represents the great luxuries that people experience only occasionally, which develops the poem's awestruck tone.
