Question

bruno’s teacher challenged his class to create their own line of poetry to add after the final stanza of \mutability\:
it is the same!—for, be it joy or sorrow,
the path of its departure still is free:
man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow;
nought may endure but mutability.
which of bruno’s lines best extends the message expressed in the final stanza?
○ we die.—and in death, at last, achieve everlasting peace.
○ we live.—knowing that today’s sun may give way to tomorrow’s rain.
○ we endure.—man’s soul is like the bedrock, eternal and unchanged.
○ we thrive.—realizing that life provides the fertile soil for us to blossom in.

Explanation:

The final stanza of "Mutability" emphasizes that change (mutability) is the only constant, with man's yesterday never being like his morrow. We analyze each option:

• Option 1: Focuses on death and peace, not change. Eliminate.
• Option 2: "Today’s sun may give way to tomorrow’s rain" reflects the idea of change, aligning with the stanza's message of mutability.
• Option 3: Claims the soul is eternal and unchanged, contradicting the theme of mutability. Eliminate.
• Option 4: Talks about thriving and life's fertile soil, not change. Eliminate.

Answer:

B. We live.—Knowing that today’s sun may give way to tomorrow’s rain.