Question

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears

Night and morning with my tears,

And I sunned it with smiles

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright,

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine,—

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning, glad, I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.



What impact or effect do the middle two stanzas have upon the reader?
A) They underline the central mystery of the poem.
B) They help build up the tension towards an ominous conclusion.
C) They serve as comic relief in the middle of an otherwise serious poem.
D) They lull the reader into complacency before providing a shocking twist ending.

Answer 1

I cannot tell what the middle two stanzas are based on the spacing. That said I believe the answer is (B) as the middle lines are referring to the author’s growing wrath