Question

question 8 of 20
read the following excerpt from the poem spring by edna st. vincent millay.
life in itself
is nothing,
an empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
it is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
april
comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
which best describes the effect of personification on the overall meaning in this excerpt?
a. it compares the month of april to a babbling brook bordered with flowers to emphasize the fertility of spring.
b. it makes an allusion to april being the cruelest month of the year to echo an idea of the poet t. s. eliot.
c. it makes april seem to the speaker like a mindless person to emphasize the contradictions of the month.
d. it compares the emptiness of life with the arrival of springtime to underscore the contrast between the two.

Explanation:

Personification is giving human - like qualities to non - human things. In the poem, April is personified as an "idiot, babbling and strewing flowers". This makes April seem like a mindless person. The speaker uses this personification to emphasize the contradictions of April (it is a time of spring, but the speaker views it in a somewhat negative, mindless light).

• Option A: There is no comparison to a babbling brook. The personification is of April as an idiot, not as a brook.
• Option B: There is no allusion to T.S. Eliot's idea of April being the cruelest month. The personification here is about April being like an idiot.
• Option D: The personification is focused on April, not on comparing the emptiness of life with the arrival of spring (the first three lines are about the emptiness of life, but the personification is in the lines about April).

Answer:

C. It makes April seem to the speaker like a mindless person to emphasize the contradictions of the month.