Question

In Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem, "Sympathy", lines 12-14 suggest that...

as the bird gets older, its hopeful desire for freedom increases.


the bird has given up hope due to a lifetime of captivity.


the bird could enjoy its captivity if only it would stop fighting.


the bird is so crippled, it will never be able to enjoy freedom.

Answer 1

On the surface the poem is all about a bird struggling to get his freedom. There is no indication in the lines that the bird has done anything except for fight for his freedom. This eliminates B and D. C is also not an option because there is no indication that it should stop fighting. The correct answer is A.