Question

Read the passage from "Ode on a Grecian Urn."

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone

Keats uses the phrase "spirit ditties" to describe the

a. music the gods on the urn favor the most.
b. songs the people on the urn appear to be playing.
c. music created by blowing across the top of the urn.
d. songs that were popular at the time the urn was made.

Answer 1

In "Ode on a Grecian Urn," Keats's phrase 'spirit ditties' alludes to the eternal music played by the figures on the urn, which exist beyond the realm of the heard melodies, capturing the essence of eternal beauty and truth.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the excerpt from "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats, the phrase "spirit ditties" refers to a kind of music that transcends the physical realm, hinting at the eternal and ideal rather than the transient nature of experienced reality. The correct answer to the student’s question is:

• b. songs the people on the urn appear to be playing.

Keats imagines these melodies as sweeter because they are eternal and unchanging, unlike the heard melodies that are subject to the limitations of time and change. The melodies are described as 'spirit ditties of no tone' suggesting they exist on a spiritual level that is felt rather than physically heard, hence revealing the poem's meditation on art's ability to capture and preserve a moment in time forever, offering a glimpse of immortality.

Answer 2

Answer: b. songs the people on the urn appear to be playing.

In these lines, the speaker tells the musicians to play not to the physical ear, but to the spiritual one. This is a metaphorical ear that is meant to be receiving the music of the pipes. He tells us that these songs are "ditties of no tone," which means that the songs do not have tones or notes. They cannot be played, because they are imaginary. Therefore, the author is talking about the songs that the people on the urn are playing, which are similarly imaginary and cannot be heard with the "physical" ear.