Question

Which statement best describes a theme in both “Breakage” by Mary Oliver, and Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare?

A.True beauty is hard to find.

B.True beauty exists only in memory.

C.Beauty attracts those with open minds.

D.Beauty can only exist in everyday objects and people.

E.Beauty can exist in something not normally considered beautiful.

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Answer 1

The statement that best describes a theme in both "Breakage" by Mary Oliver, and Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare is the following:

E. Beauty can exist in something not normally considered beautiful.

Both poems find beauty on things that are not normally considered beautiful (Shakespeare's mistress, which opposes ideal beauty of his time and Oliver broken things). In both poems, the issue of beauty is tied to the eyes: the beauty seems to be something present on the viewer, not on the objects themselves.