Question

loveliest of trees, the cherry now
is hung with bloom along the bough,
and stands about the woodland ride
wearing white for eastertide.

now, of my threescore years and ten,
twenty will not come again,
and take from seventy springs a score,
it only leaves me fifty more.

and since to look at things in bloom
fifty springs are little room,
about the woodlands i will go
to see the cherry hung with snow.

which element in the poem best symbolizes a life that goes by too fast?

a. cherry blossoms
b. snow
c. eastertide
d. woodlands

Explanation:

Analyze the poem's theme of time passing

The speaker in A.E. Housman's "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now" reflects on his age ("threescore years and ten" or 70 years) and realizes that twenty years have already passed, leaving him with only fifty more springs to live. Because fifty years is a short time ("little room") to appreciate life, he decides to go about the woodlands to look at the cherry trees.

Identify the symbolic meaning of snow

In the final line, "To see the cherry hung with snow," the word "snow" serves as a metaphor for the white cherry blossoms, but it also carries a deeper symbolic meaning. Snow represents winter, cold, and the end of life (death). By associating the blooming cherry trees with winter's snow, the poet emphasizes the transience of youth and beauty, symbolizing how quickly life passes from spring (youth) to winter (old age/death).

Evaluate the answer choices

• A. Cherry blossoms: Represent beauty and spring, but not specifically the rapid passage of life.
• B. Snow: Represents winter, aging, and the fleeting nature of life.
• C. Eastertide: Represents rebirth and spring.
• D. Woodlands: Represents the natural setting, not the passage of time.

Therefore, "snow" is the element that best symbolizes a life that goes by too fast.

Answer:

• (A) Cherry blossoms
• (B) Snow (Correct answer)
• (C) Eastertide
• (D) Woodlands