Question

Which lines in "The Hollow Men" are the "whimper"? (Hint: the punctuation might help you figure it out.)

a) Lines 1-4
b) Lines 20-21
c) Lines 45-48
d) Lines 60-62

Answer 1

The lines representing the "whimper" in T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" are lines 60-62, which conclude the poem with a subdued and anticlimactic end rather than a loud, dramatic one.The correct option is D.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks which lines in "The Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot represent the "whimper" that the poem concludes with, advice highlighted by the hint to observe punctuation for clues. The answer is found in lines 60-62, which end the poem with the lines:

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

Here, the absence of a loud, definitive end, symbolized by a "bang," is contrasted with the quiet, subdued, and arguably anticlimactic "whimper." The repetition and the final line's ending punctuation create a significant impact, making these lines the embodiment of the "whimper" in question.