by Paul Laurence Dunbar
If you could sit with me beside the sea to-day,
And whisper with me sweetest dreamings o’er and o’er;
I think I should not find the clouds so dim and gray,
And not so loud the waves complaining at the shore.
If you could sit with me upon the shore to-day,
And hold my hand in yours as in the days of old,
I think I should not mind the chill baptismal spray,
Nor find my hand and heart and all the world so cold.
If you could walk with me upon the strand to-day,
And tell me that my longing love had won your own,
I think all my sad thoughts would then be put away,
And I could give back laughter for the Ocean’s moan!
Use the poem to answer the question.
Based on the poem’s structure, what can readers infer about the speaker?
(1 point)
Responses
The speaker feels lonely and believes that one particular person could bring joy back into their life.
The speaker feels lonely and believes that one particular person could bring joy back into their life.
The speaker thinks the clouds would not be so dim and gray if one particular person was with them.
The speaker thinks the clouds would not be so dim and gray if one particular person was with them.
The speaker wants to move to a new place away from the ocean.
The speaker wants to move to a new place away from the ocean.
The speaker dislikes the rhythm made by the ocean’s waves.
The speaker dislikes the rhythm made by the ocean’s waves.
Question 2
Use the poem to answer the question.
How does the use of the word complaining affect meaning in the first stanza?
(1 point)
Responses
It makes the sea a negative force in the poem.
It makes the sea a negative force in the poem.
It connects the sea to the speaker’s feelings.
It connects the sea to the speaker’s feelings.
It shows that a storm is about to happen.
It shows that a storm is about to happen.
It indicates that the sea is an important character.
1 answer
Question 1: Based on the poem’s structure, what can readers infer about the speaker?
The correct response is: The speaker feels lonely and believes that one particular person could bring joy back into their life.
Question 2: How does the use of the word complaining affect meaning in the first stanza?
The correct response is: It connects the sea to the speaker’s feelings.
