Question

Multiple choice on "Fame is a fickle food":

What inferences or conclusions can be drawn about the speaker?
a) She has witnessed fame fade away from either herself or someone she knew of.
b) She once was a famous person and hated the experience.
c) She is upset that her writing career never brought her fame.
d) She had the chance to experience fame but turned it down.

Answer 1

Based on Emily Dickinson's 'Fame is a fickle food,' the best inference about the speaker is that she has observed the fleeting nature of fame, as there's no conclusive evidence in the poem to support the other options provided.

Step-by-step explanation:

The poem "Fame is a fickle food" by Emily Dickinson alludes to the transient nature of fame and its unreliability as a source of fulfillment. To infer something about the speaker from this poem, it is necessary to interpret the deeper meaning behind the text.

Option a) is a viable inference, as the speaker could have observed the volatility of fame around her, noting how quickly it can come and go either in her own experience or in that of someone she knows. However, there is no direct evidence in the poem to support options b), c), and d) conclusively. The poem does not indicate any personal hatred of fame by the speaker, a specific disappoint in their writing career, or an opportunity turned down. Therefore, the best-supported inference would be that the speaker has witnessed the fleeting nature of fame in some capacity, echoing the overall theme of the poem.