Question

select the correct answer.
why has the poet compared imagination to a soaring bird in this excerpt from the poem \on imagination\ by phillis wheatley?
imagination! who can sing thy force?
or who describe the swiftness of thy course?
soaring through air to find the bright abode,
th empyreal palace of the thundring god,
we on thy pinions can surpass the wind,
and leave the rolling universe behind:
from star to star the mental optics rove,
measure the skies, and range the realms above.
there in one view we grasp the mighty whole,
a. the imagination can move swiftly from idea to idea and can rise above the mundane.
b. the imagination is as unguided as the wind and as fanciful as a bird.
c. the imagination has no bounds beyond the limit of ones own mind.
d. the imagination has as much force as a bird fighting to fly against the wind.

Explanation:

The poem describes imagination as "soaring through air" and being able to "surpass the wind" and "leave the rolling universe behind". This implies that imagination can move quickly (like a bird in flight) and rise above the ordinary (mundane) world. Option A aligns with these descriptions. Option B's "unguided" is not supported. Option C's focus on "no bounds" isn't the main comparison. Option D's "force as a bird fighting wind" is not in line with the text.

Answer:

A. The imagination can move swiftly from idea to idea and can rise above the mundane.