Question

Read the passage.

To Waken an Old Lady

by William Carlos Williams

Old age is
a flight of small
cheeping birds
skimming
bare trees
above a snow glaze.
Gaining and failing
they are buffeted
by a dark wind—
But what?
On harsh weedstalks
the flock has rested,
the snow
is covered with broken
seedhusks
and the wind tempered
by a shrill
piping of plenty.

What do the small cheeping birds symbolize in this poem?

snowy weather
wisdom
youth
strong winds

Answer 1

The poem “ To Waken an Old Lady “ written by William Carlos Williams is about someone having the realization of being old and the transformation that went into this.

Question: What do the small cheeping birds symbolize in this poem?

Answer: C. youth

Answer 2

I believe the best answer to this question would be "youth." My reasoning for this is that "small" and "cheeping" imply young birds. The birds are then forced to fly, and then are "buffeted by a dark wind," which could possibly symbolize the challenges one faces as they age. They then find a place to rest, which may symbolize how people tend to slow down in their lives as they get older. I hope this helps.