A Dream Within a Dream

By Edgar Allan Poe
1849
Question 1) PART A: Which sentence best describes a theme of the poem? (1 point)
Responses

Our loved ones usually leave us.
Our loved ones usually leave us.

We cannot slow the passage of time.
We cannot slow the passage of time.

It is important to hold on to your dreams.
It is important to hold on to your dreams.

Nothing in life is permanent.

7 answers

The sentence that best describes a theme of the poem "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe is:

Nothing in life is permanent.

This theme aligns with the poem's exploration of fleeting moments, the impermanence of experiences, and the ephemeral nature of reality and dreams.

Question 2) PART B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A? (1 point)
Responses

"Through my fingers to the deep, / While I weep — while I weep!" (Lines 17-18)
"Through my fingers to the deep, / While I weep — while I weep!" (Lines 17-18)

"O God! I cannot save / One from the pitiless wave" (Lines 21-22)
"O God! I cannot save / One from the pitiless wave" (Lines 21-22)

"Thus much let me avow — / You are not wrong, who deem" (Lines 3-4)
"Thus much let me avow — / You are not wrong, who deem" (Lines 3-4)

"And I hold within my hand / Grains of the golden sand" (Lines 14-15)

The lines from the poem that best support the theme of "Nothing in life is permanent" are:

"Through my fingers to the deep, / While I weep — while I weep!" (Lines 17-18)

These lines suggest the loss of time and experiences slipping away, emphasizing the idea of impermanence and the inability to hold onto what is fleeting.

Question 3) PART A: What is the meaning of the word "vision" as used in line 8? (1 point)
Responses

a spirit
a spirit

a dream
a dream

the future
the future

a beautiful person

In the context of the poem "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe, the meaning of the word "vision" as used in line 8 is best understood as:

a dream.

This interpretation aligns with the poem's exploration of dreams and the nature of reality.

Question 4) PART B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A? (1 point)
Responses

"All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream." (Lines 10-11)
"All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream." (Lines 10-11)

"You are not wrong, who deem / That my days have been a dream" (Lines 4-5)
"You are not wrong, who deem / That my days have been a dream" (Lines 4-5)

"Yet if hope has flown away / In a night, or in a day" (Lines 6-7)
"Yet if hope has flown away / In a night, or in a day" (Lines 6-7)

"Is it therefore the less gone?" (Line 9)

The lines from the poem that best support the meaning of "vision" as a dream are:

"You are not wrong, who deem / That my days have been a dream" (Lines 4-5)

These lines explicitly reference the concept of life as a dream, reinforcing the idea that "vision" in this context relates to dreams or dreamlike experiences.