Question

Question 5 of 10

Why do the allusions to Whitman in Galway Kinnell's "Vapor Trail Reflected in
the Frog Pond create tension?
A. They are ironic because Whitman is proud of America, whereas
Kinnell is not.
B. They shift focus from the negative effects of American
involvement in Vietnam to the positive effects.
C. They refer back to a time when war was never an option for the
United States.
D. They do not connect the two poems as a person would expect.

Answer 1

The correct answer to the question is:

D. They do not connect the two poems as a person would expect.

The allusions to Whitman in Galway Kinnell's "Vapor Trail Reflected in the Frog Pond" create tension because they do not establish a clear connection between the two poems as one would typically expect. The reader might anticipate a thematic or stylistic link between Kinnell's poem and the works of Whitman, but the allusions do not fulfill those expectations, thus creating tension.