Question

PLEASE HELP ASAP

A theme of “The Village Blacksmith” is people can take charge of their fate.
Which lines from the poem best develop this theme?

Responses:
“Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing, / Onward through life he goes”
“Thus on its sounding anvil shaped / Each burning deed and thought.”
“Thus at the flaming forge of life / Our fortunes must be wrought”
“Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend, / For the lesson thou hast taught!”

The Village Blacksmith
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate’er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter’s voice,
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother’s voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night’s repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.

Answer 1

“Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing, / Onward through life he goes”

Step-by-step explanation:

These lines from the poem “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow best develop the theme that people can take charge of their fate. The first line, “Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing, / Onward through life he goes”, conveys the idea that the blacksmith is in control of his own destiny and is not simply a passive observer of life, but an active participant. The second line, “Thus on its sounding anvil shaped / Each burning deed and thought”, further emphasizes this idea by suggesting that the blacksmith is able to shape his own destiny through his deeds and thoughts. The third line, “Thus at the flaming forge of life / Our fortunes must be wrought”, implies that the blacksmith is able to take charge of his own fate and forge his own future. Finally, the fourth line, “Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend, / For the lesson thou hast taught!”, serves as a reminder that the blacksmith has taken control of his own fate and is thankful for the lesson he has learned. These lines from the poem “The Village Blacksmith” clearly demonstrate that people can take charge of their fate.