Upon the Burning of Our HouseAnne BradstreetIn silent night when rest I took,For sorrow near I did not look,I waken'd was with thund’ring noiseAnd Piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.That fearful sound of fire and fire,5Let no man know is my Desire.I, starting up, the light did spy,And to my God my heart did cryTo strengthen me in my DistressAnd not to leave me succourless. 10Then coming out beheld a space,The flame consume my dwelling place.And, when I could no longer look,I blest his Name that gave and took,That laid my goods now in the dust: 15Yea so it was, and so 'twas just.It was his own: it was not mine;Far be it that I should repine.He might of All justly bereft,But yet sufficient for us left. 20When by the Ruines oft I past,My sorrowing eyes aside did cast,And here and there the places spyWhere oft I sate, and long did lye.Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest; 25There lay that store I counted best:My pleasant things in ashes lye,And them behold no more shall I.Under thy roof no guest shall sit,Nor at thy Table eat a bitt.30No pleasant tale shall 'ere be told,Nor things recounted done of old.No Candle 'ere shall shine in Thee,Nor bridegroom's voice ere heard shall bee.In silence ever shalt thou lye; 35Adieu, Adeiu; All's vanity.Then straight I gin my heart to chide,And didst thy wealth on earth abide?Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust,The arm of flesh didst make thy trust? 40Raise up thy thoughts above the skyThat dunghill mists away may fly.Thou hast an house on high erectFram'd by that mighty Architect,With glory richly furnished, 45Stands permanent tho' this bee fled.It's purchased, and paid for tooBy him who hath enough to doe.A Price so vast as is unknown,Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own. 50There's wealth enough, I need no more;Farewell my Pelf, farewell my Store.The world no longer let me Love,My hope and Treasure lyes Above.QuestionHow is the organization of the poem significant to its meaning?ResponsesA Each stanza depicts another issue the speaker must cope with.Each stanza depicts another issue the speaker must cope with.B Each stanza essentially repeats the previous stanza's thought.Each stanza essentially repeats the previous stanza's thought.C Each stanza recounts the night of the fire from a different perspective.Each stanza recounts the night of the fire from a different perspective.D Each stanza describes another possession the speaker has lost in the fire.Each stanza describes another possession the speaker has lost in the fire.E Each stanza represents another phase in the speaker's reaction to the fire.Each stanza represents another phase in the speaker's reaction to the fire.
Question
Upon the Burning of Our HouseAnne BradstreetIn silent night when rest I took,For sorrow near I did not look,I waken'd was with thund’ring noiseAnd Piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.That fearful sound of fire and fire,5Let no man know is my Desire.I, starting up, the light did spy,And to my God my heart did cryTo strengthen me in my DistressAnd not to leave me succourless. 10Then coming out beheld a space,The flame consume my dwelling place.And, when I could no longer look,I blest his Name that gave and took,That laid my goods now in the dust: 15Yea so it was, and so 'twas just.It was his own: it was not mine;Far be it that I should repine.He might of All justly bereft,But yet sufficient for us left. 20When by the Ruines oft I past,My sorrowing eyes aside did cast,And here and there the places spyWhere oft I sate, and long did lye.Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest; 25There lay that store I counted best:My pleasant things in ashes lye,And them behold no more shall I.Under thy roof no guest shall sit,Nor at thy Table eat a bitt.30No pleasant tale shall 'ere be told,Nor things recounted done of old.No Candle 'ere shall shine in Thee,Nor bridegroom's voice ere heard shall bee.In silence ever shalt thou lye; 35Adieu, Adeiu; All's vanity.Then straight I gin my heart to chide,And didst thy wealth on earth abide?Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust,The arm of flesh didst make thy trust? 40Raise up thy thoughts above the skyThat dunghill mists away may fly.Thou hast an house on high erectFram'd by that mighty Architect,With glory richly furnished, 45Stands permanent tho' this bee fled.It's purchased, and paid for tooBy him who hath enough to doe.A Price so vast as is unknown,Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own. 50There's wealth enough, I need no more;Farewell my Pelf, farewell my Store.The world no longer let me Love,My hope and Treasure lyes Above.QuestionHow is the organization of the poem significant to its meaning?ResponsesA Each stanza depicts another issue the speaker must cope with.Each stanza depicts another issue the speaker must cope with.B Each stanza essentially repeats the previous stanza's thought.Each stanza essentially repeats the previous stanza's thought.C Each stanza recounts the night of the fire from a different perspective.Each stanza recounts the night of the fire from a different perspective.D Each stanza describes another possession the speaker has lost in the fire.Each stanza describes another possession the speaker has lost in the fire.E Each stanza represents another phase in the speaker's reaction to the fire.Each stanza represents another phase in the speaker's reaction to the fire.
Solution
The organization of the poem is significant to its meaning because each stanza represents another phase in the speaker's reaction to the fire. The speaker moves from initial shock and distress, to acceptance and understanding of the event, to a spiritual reflection on material possessions and the impermanence of earthly life. This progression of thoughts and emotions adds depth to the poem and reflects the speaker's personal growth and spiritual journey. Therefore, the correct answer is E.
Similar Questions
from The Somnambulistby George MacDonaldOne night I was sitting in my room, devouring an old romance which I had brought from the library. It was late. The fire blazed bright; but the candles were nearly burnt out, and I grew sleepy.Suddenly I found myself on my feet, listening with agony. Whether I had heard anything I could not tell; but I felt as if I had. Yes; I was sure of it. Far away, I heard a faint cry. Driven by some secret impulse, I flew, without a moment’s reflection, to the door, and stood in the great echoing hall, amid the touches, light and ghostly, of the cobwebs set afloat in the eddies occasioned by my sudden entrance.A faded moonbeam fell on the floor, and filled the place with an ancient dream-light, which wrought strangely on my brain, and filled it, as if it, too, were but a deserted, sleepy house, haunted by old dreams and memories. Recollecting myself, I went back for a light; but the candles were both flickering in the sockets, and I was compelled to trust to the moon. I ascended the staircase. Old as it was, not a board creaked, not a banister shook—the whole felt solid as rock. Finding, at length, no more stair to ascend, I groped my way on; for here there was no direct light from the moon—only the light of the moonlit air. I was in some trepidation, I confess; for how should I find my way back? At length, after wandering into several rooms and out again, my hand fell on a latched door. I opened it, and entered a long corridor, with many windows on one side. Broad strips of moonlight lay slantingly across the narrow floor, divided by regular intervals of shade.I started, and my heart swelled; for I saw a movement somewhere—I could neither tell where, nor of what: I was only aware of motion. I stood in the first shadow, and gazed, but saw nothing. I sped across the light to the next shadow, and stood again, looking with fearful fixedness of gaze towards the far end of the corridor. Suddenly a white form glimmered and vanished. I crossed to the next shadow. Again a glimmer and vanishing, but nearer. Nerving myself to the utmost, I ceased the stealthiness of my movements, and went forward, slowly and steadily. A tall form, apparently of a woman, dressed in a long white robe, appeared in one of the streams of light, threw its arms over its head, gave a wild cry—which, notwithstanding its wildness and force, had a muffled sound, as if many folds, either of matter or of space, intervened—and fell at full length along the moonlight. Amidst the thrill of agony which shook me at the cry, I rushed forward, and, kneeling beside the prostrate figure, discovered that, unearthly as was the scream which had preceded her fall, it was the Lady Alice. I saw the fact in a moment: the Lady Alice was a somnambulist.* . . .*a sleep-walker5Select ALL the correct answers.In which two ways does the author best create suspense in the story? by setting the scene late at night in a large, dark house without lights through the descriptive elements of moonlight, shadow, movement, and form through the interplay of thoughts, dreams, and memories of the narrator by suggesting the unfamiliarity of the narrator with his surroundings by focusing on the rooms of the house through which the story progresses
What did the author see when she visited her old house after the fire?
You go by your day, rushing through the busy streetsand pay no mind to those who stop halfwayunravel in dark corners and let themselves breathbut if you looked in those corners,You'd find her right there,Disguised by the darknessand the curls in her hairHer nose in a book,With her head in the clouds,hiding her feelings,away from the menacing crowdIf you sat by her side,While the world went awry,She'd tell you the story, behind the pain in her eyes.If you peered through her ribcage, you'd see an empty space,from those she gave her heart towho didn't put it back in its placethe brain within her skull is so flooded it could drown In names of people who said they loved her,but didn't stick around.If you gave her five minutes of your time, You'd see how her smile,makes the worst things in existenceseem worthwhileBut you don't look in those corners,You don't even spare her a glanceSo she sits and waits in those corners, waiting to be given a chance
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follows.I had never seen a house on fire before. So, one evening when I heard fire engines with loud alarm bells rushing past my house, I quickly ran out and, a few streets away, joined a large crowd of people; but we could see the fire only from a distance because the police would not allow any one near the building on fire.What a terrible scene I saw that day! Huge flames of fire were coming out of each floor, and black and thick smoke spread all around. Every now and then tongues of fire would shoot up almost sky-high, sending, huge sparks of fire round-about.Three fire engines were busily engaged and the firemen in their dark uniform were playing the hose on various parts of the building. The rushing water form several hoses soaked the building but it did not seem to have any effect on the flames. Then the tall red ladders of the fire engine were stretched upwards and I could see some firemen climbing up with hoses in their hands. On reaching almost the top of the ladder, they began to pour floods of water on the topmost part of the building. This continuous flooding brought the fire under control but the building was completely destroyed.While fire is a blessing in many ways, it can also be a great danger to human life and property.The expression that is a perfect substitute for the phrase “flames of fire” is:Tongs of fireTongues of fireBlack and thick fireSky-high fire
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follows.I had never seen a house on fire before. So, one evening when I heard fire engines with loud alarm bells rushing past my house, I quickly ran out and, a few streets away, joined a large crowd of people; but we could see the fire only from a distance because the police would not allow any one near the building on fire.What a terrible scene I saw that day! Huge flames of fire were coming out of each floor, and black and thick smoke spread all around. Every now and then tongues of fire would shoot up almost sky-high, sending, huge sparks of fire round-about.Three fire engines were busily engaged and the firemen in their dark uniform were playing the hose on various parts of the building. The rushing water form several hoses soaked the building but it did not seem to have any effect on the flames. Then the tall red ladders of the fire engine were stretched upwards and I could see some firemen climbing up with hoses in their hands. On reaching almost the top of the ladder, they began to pour floods of water on the topmost part of the building. This continuous flooding brought the fire under control but the building was completely destroyed.While fire is a blessing in many ways, it can also be a great danger to human life and property.The given passage is a:Third person narrativeSecond person narrativeFirst person narrativeAn omniscient narration
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