Question

the chambered nautilus (1858) — oliver wendell holmes, sr.
this is the ship of pearl, which poets feign
sails the unshadowed main,—
the venturous bark that flings
on the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
5 in gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,
and coral reefs lie bare,
where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
wrecked is the ship of pearl!
10 and every chambered cell,
where its dim, dreaming life was wont to dwell,
as the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
before thee lies revealed,—
its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
year after year beheld the silent toil
that spread his lustrous coil;
still, as the spiral grew,
he left the past years dwelling for the new,
stole with soft step its shining archway through,
20 built up its idle door,
stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
child of the wandering sea,
cast from her lap, forlorn!
25 from thy dead lips a clearer note is born
than ever triton blew from wreathèd horn!
build thee more stately mansions, o my soul...

which idea connects most directly to the line \build thee more stately mansions, o my soul\?

a. humans should travel more often
b. people should work harder for wealth
c. personal growth means creating better versions of oneself
d. home design reflects moral character

Explanation:

Analyze the literal meaning of the line

The line "Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul" uses the metaphor of building larger, grander homes. This is a direct reference to how the chambered nautilus grows by continuously building larger chambers for itself as it develops.

Connect the metaphor to the soul

Using Metaphorical Meaning, the "mansions" do not represent physical houses or wealth. Instead, the speaker addresses his own "soul," urging it to expand, improve, and elevate itself spiritually and morally over time.

Evaluate the given options

Using Poetic Analysis, we compare the metaphorical meaning of spiritual expansion to the choices:

• Option A (travel) and Option B (wealth) take the poem too literally or misinterpret the spiritual focus.
• Option D (home design) completely misses the metaphorical nature of "mansions."
• Option C directly aligns with the Theme and Message of continuous self-improvement and spiritual development.

Formulate the final conclusion

The line encourages the soul to grow and build better versions of itself, making Option C the correct choice.

Answer:

• A. Humans should travel more often
• B. People should work harder for wealth
• C. Personal growth means creating better versions of oneself (Correct answer)
• D. Home design reflects moral character