Question

"The Winds of Fate"

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow. ’Tis the set of the sails
And not of the gales Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life;
’Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What is this poem about?
a. The excitement of a sea voyage.
b. The way a person’s character guides life.
c. The power of the wind on sails.
d. The problems of living everyone encounters.

In “The Winds of Fate,” the poet compares a person’s life to
a. a ship at sea.
b. the wind.
c. a ship’s sails
d. the power of fate.

According to this poem’s first stanza, what determines the direction of a ship? a. The sea
b. The soul
c. The sails
d. The wind​

Answer 1

1. b. The way a person’s character guides life.
2. a. a ship at sea.
3. c. The sails

Step-by-step explanation:

The poem alludes to how the character of a person and how it guides their life. We see this when it insinuates that it is the way the soul is set (character) that determines the goal of the person's life.

Human life is compared to a ship at sea and just like it is a person's character that determines how they go about their life, the sails of a ship determines which direction a ship will go (''Tis the set of the sails...Which tells us the way to go.'').