Question

owen is writing about the central ideas in \sonnet 18\ by william shakespeare.
but thy eternal summer shall not fade,
nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
when in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
so long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
what is the central idea of these lines?
○ the author’s loved one will overcome physical death and summer is eternal.
○ attraction, love, and mild summer days are all fleeting and soon disappear.
○ beauty is not defined by the outward appearance, but by the character inside.
○ the author’s loved one will always remain beautiful in the lines of this poem.

Explanation:

To determine the central idea, analyze the lines: "thy eternal summer shall not fade", "death brag...wander'st in his shade", "So long as men can breathe...this gives life to thee" suggest the loved one's beauty is preserved in the poem. The first option misinterprets "eternal summer" as literal summer. The second option is incorrect as the poem emphasizes permanence, not fleetingness. The third option is off - topic as the lines don't discuss inner vs outer beauty. The fourth option matches: the poem's lines make the loved one's beauty enduring.

Answer:

D. the author’s loved one will always remain beautiful in the lines of this poem.