Question

read the poem. there are several questions about this poem.
nursery rhyme
shut your eyes then
and let us slip
out of the city rain
into a special ship,
call her the pilgrim,
set sail and go
over the worlds rim
to where rousseau
discovered a jungle
of indigo trees,
a marvelous tangle:
precise oranges,
tigers with dreaming eyes,
larger and larger flowers,
leaves of gigantic size -
wander for hours
under a crimson sun
in a pale milky sky
with a vermilion
lizard near by,
and over it all
the strangeness that hovers
like a green pall,
envelopes and covers
which statement best expresses a theme of the poem?

1. a work of art may be interpreted differently by each viewer.
2. a work of art can take on new meanings in different phases of life.
3. art can take its viewers to a world that is beyond ordinary experience.
4. art provides an outlet for feelings that are otherwise difficult to convey.

part b
select two excerpts from the poem that best develop the correct theme from
part a.

1. \larger and larger flowers,

leaves of gigantic size -\ (lines 14 - 15)

1. \and over it all

the strangeness that hovers\ (lines 21 - 22)

1. \(two people rousseau

saw through his glasses\ (lines 30 - 31)

1. \in a place where things seem\

Explanation:

The poem describes a journey through a fantastical world (like the jungle with indigo trees, tigers with dreaming eyes etc.) which is beyond ordinary experience. The lines "Larger and larger flowers, Leaves of gigantic size —" and "And over it all The strangeness that hovers" further develop the idea of a world beyond the ordinary. The first option about different interpretations is not supported as the poem is more about the experience of the world. The second about new meanings in life phases is not in the poem. The fourth about feelings outlet is not the main theme.

Answer:

Part A: 3. Art can take its viewers to a world that is beyond ordinary experience.
Part B: 1. "Larger and larger flowers, Leaves of gigantic size —" (Lines 14 - 15); 2. "And over it all The strangeness that hovers" (Lines 21 - 22)