Question

the chambered nautilus (1858) - oliver wendell holmes, sr.
this is the ship of pearl, which poets feign
sails the unshadowed main,-
the venturous bark that flings
on the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
5 in gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,
and coral reefs lie bare,
where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
wrecked is the ship of pearl!
10 and every chambered cell,
where its dim, dreaming life was wont to dwell,
as the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
before thee lies revealed,-
its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
15 year after year beheld the silent toil
that spread his lustrous coil,
still, as the spiral grew,
he left the past years dwelling for the new,
stole with soft step its shining archway through,
20 built up its idle door,
stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
child of the wandering sea,
cast from her lap, forlorn!
25 from thy dead lips a clearer note is born
than ever triton blew from wreathed horn!
build thee more stately mansions, o my soul...

how does the poet use contrast in stanzas 1 and 2?
a. by comparing sea creatures to land animals
b. by describing two different storms at sea
c. by shifting from the nautilus alive to the nautilus dead and revealed
d. by showing the difference between day and night

Explanation:

Analyze the first stanza

Using the Poetic Analysis and Textual Analysis knowledge points:

• Stanza 1 describes the nautilus alive, sailing on summer winds through enchanted gulfs.
• Key imagery includes "webs of living gauze" and "sweet summer wind."

Analyze the second stanza

Using the Poetic Analysis and Textual Analysis knowledge points:

• Stanza 2 shifts to the nautilus dead and broken on the shore.
• Key imagery includes "Wrecked is the ship of pearl!" and "Before thee lies revealed."

Evaluate the options

Using the Poetic Analysis knowledge point:

• Option A is incorrect because the poem does not compare sea creatures to land animals.
• Option B is incorrect because it does not describe two different storms.
• Option C correctly identifies the shift from the living nautilus to its dead, revealed shell.
• Option D is incorrect because the contrast is not between day and night.

Answer:

• (A) By comparing sea creatures to land animals
• (B) By describing two different storms at sea
• (C) By shifting from the nautilus alive to the nautilus dead and revealed (Correct answer)
• (D) By showing the difference between day and night