Question

Which answer choice best describes the speaker in "In Memoriam, A.H.H."?

Options:

A. Alfred, Lord Tennyson
B. A distant friend of A.H.H.
C. Someone who did not know A.H.H.
D. Someone who worries over his own death

Answer 1

The speaker in 'In Memoriam, A.H.H.' is Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who wrote the poem as an elegy to mourn and commemorate the death of his close friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. Hence, the correct answer is Option A: Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Step-by-step explanation:

The speaker in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's In Memoriam, A.H.H. is best described as Alfred, Lord Tennyson himself. The poem is an elegy, a form of poetry that expresses grief over the dead, and it was written to commemorate the death of Tennyson's close friend, Arthur Henry Hallam.

The work is deeply personal and reflects Tennyson's own struggles with loss, faith, and the search for meaning in the wake of Hallam's untimely death. While the poem certainly engages with broader themes of mortality and the fear of death, these are framed within the context of Tennyson's personal grief and his tribute to his friend's memory.

Considering the conventional function of an elegy and Tennyson's established relationship with Hallam, the correct option that describes the speaker in In Memoriam, A.H.H. is:

Option A: Alfred, Lord Tennyson.