Question

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,

On a white heal-all, holding up a moth
Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth—
Assorted characters of death and blight
Mixed ready to begin the morning right, 5
Like the ingredients of a witches' broth—
A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,
And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white,
The wayside blue and innocent heal-all? 10
What brought the kindred spider to that height,
Then steered the white moth thither in the night?
What but design of darkness to appall?—
If design govern in a thing so small.

Caesura is found in _____.

a) line 10
b) line 5
c) line 2
d) line 4
e) line 13

Answer 1

Line 5 of the poem 'Design' contains a caesura, which is a pause or break within a line of poetry, exemplified by the em dash.

Step-by-step explanation:

A caesura is a pause in a line of poetry, often found in the middle of a line, which can give the reader a moment to reflect or to add dramatic effect to the poem. In the poem 'Design' by Robert Frost, the line that contains a caesura is option b) line 5: 'Mixed ready to begin the morning right, / Like the ingredients of a witches' broth—'. Here, the caesura is represented by the punctuation mark—the em dash—which induces a pause within the line, contrasting the grim imagery of 'death and blight' with the quotidian activity of beginning the morning. This line also incorporates a play on words with 'right' suggesting the ritual 'rite' of a witches' concoction, adding to the eerie and unsettling atmosphere of the poem.