Question

Read these lines from the poem "In Thai Binh (Peace) Province" by Denise Levertov: it is that life, unhurried, sure, persistent, I must bring home when I try to bring the war home. Child, river, light. Here the future, fabled bird that has migrated away from America, nests, and breeds, and sings, common as any sparrow. Which sentence best describes one effect of the poet's use of figurative language in this excerpt?

a. It attributes human qualities to peace in order to emphasize the idea that it is a common goal for all people.
b. It attributes the qualities of postwar peace in Vietnam to a bird, suggesting that the war has left America divided.
c. It implies that a hawkish foreign policy has displaced a dovish foreign policy in America after the war.
d. It symbolizes the resilience of peace by likening it to a common sparrow.

Answer 1

The poem uses figurative language to symbolize peace as a common sparrow, suggesting its humble resilience. The correct answer is d: It symbolizes the resilience of peace by likening it to a common sparrow.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the poem "In Thai Binh (Peace) Province" by Denise Levertov, the poet uses figurative language to contrast the resilient, persevering nature of life in the wake of war with the loss of hope in America. The future is personified as a fabled bird that has left America, but finds a place to nest, breed, and sing in the peaceful landscape of Thai Binh.

This imagery of the bird, common as a sparrow, symbolizes the natural, unpretentious, and widespread aspect of peace. The correct answer to the student's question is option d. It symbolizes the resilience of peace by likening it to a common sparrow. The use of the bird metaphor suggests that peace, like the sparrow, is humble yet enduring and has the potential to be ubiquitous despite the backdrop of conflict and division.