Question
Drawn to Beauty
Drawn to Beauty
The Beekeeper
I am a beekeeper, and I have spent the last ten years safeguarding the pollinators of our country. Without bees, the cost of produce in our grocery stores could double or triple. During that time, I have smoked each of my hives. I have counted each successful bee and have looked for the mites and other diseases that take the bees. It is a difficult job, but it is one that is essential to the production of food sources in America. I have come to know the beauty of their dance.
In 2006, the Federal Government became alarmed at the reduction of the native bee population of the United States. Hives around our country were collapsing, or dying, despite our efforts to support the population. We had lost nearly seventy percent of our natural hives. I checked my hives each week during that time, looking for their success, and I counted bees, looked for the “combs” or the waxed areas of honey, and looked for new bees. I unfortunately found a nearly 50% reduction in my hives. Why were the bees dying?
I began walking the great open spaces of my state. Most of the fields of flowers had been replaced by crops that would support the cattle of the area, and there were very few natural flowers in the fields around my home. The bees were trying to survive this great change, but the alteration of their diet was causing a reduction in their population.
I will now start supporting this important part of our food chain with flowers around my house that will offer better nutritional sources. I will ask my neighbors to grow pollinator gardens to support a thriving population of bees. We can take action that will support our bees if we realize that 60% of our natural bee population is gone. How will we raise our crops without the bees that pollinate them?
The Bee
I flit from blossom to blossom, across the field
Breathing the amazing aroma of the flower.
I know the way to these blossoms.
I shall share it with the others.
I buzz and gather and repeat the process to enter
The blossom that gives me nourishment.
I begin to feel heavy.
There is something here that is unknown.
Can I make it to the hive for the vital dance?
My gossamer wings glitter in the sunlight.
I grow tired.
My flight has ended on a lavender plant.
My eternal harvest is nearing its end.
Has the rancher brought me to the end of flight?
I and my fellows wish to continue our amazing dance of life.
What will become of my hive?
Multiple Choice Question
As I began my flight home, I realized that I was not feeling well. I felt heavy, but I did not know why. Would I be able to make it back to the hive? I started to grow more and more tired. Soon, I landed on a lavender plant. I knew that I was close to the end of my life.
This short paragraph rewrites part of “The Bee” as a first-person, prose narrative instead of a poem.
What is the MOST important difference between how the reader might interpret the flight home in “The Bee” if it were written as a first-person narrative instead of a poem?
A.
The reader may not feel the bee’s emotions as intensely.
B.
The reader may not understand the bee’s point of view as well.
C.
The reader may not understand what the bee is thinking as clearly.
D.
The reader may not experience the beauty of the bee’s world as strongly.
Drawn to Beauty
The Beekeeper
I am a beekeeper, and I have spent the last ten years safeguarding the pollinators of our country. Without bees, the cost of produce in our grocery stores could double or triple. During that time, I have smoked each of my hives. I have counted each successful bee and have looked for the mites and other diseases that take the bees. It is a difficult job, but it is one that is essential to the production of food sources in America. I have come to know the beauty of their dance.
In 2006, the Federal Government became alarmed at the reduction of the native bee population of the United States. Hives around our country were collapsing, or dying, despite our efforts to support the population. We had lost nearly seventy percent of our natural hives. I checked my hives each week during that time, looking for their success, and I counted bees, looked for the “combs” or the waxed areas of honey, and looked for new bees. I unfortunately found a nearly 50% reduction in my hives. Why were the bees dying?
I began walking the great open spaces of my state. Most of the fields of flowers had been replaced by crops that would support the cattle of the area, and there were very few natural flowers in the fields around my home. The bees were trying to survive this great change, but the alteration of their diet was causing a reduction in their population.
I will now start supporting this important part of our food chain with flowers around my house that will offer better nutritional sources. I will ask my neighbors to grow pollinator gardens to support a thriving population of bees. We can take action that will support our bees if we realize that 60% of our natural bee population is gone. How will we raise our crops without the bees that pollinate them?
The Bee
I flit from blossom to blossom, across the field
Breathing the amazing aroma of the flower.
I know the way to these blossoms.
I shall share it with the others.
I buzz and gather and repeat the process to enter
The blossom that gives me nourishment.
I begin to feel heavy.
There is something here that is unknown.
Can I make it to the hive for the vital dance?
My gossamer wings glitter in the sunlight.
I grow tired.
My flight has ended on a lavender plant.
My eternal harvest is nearing its end.
Has the rancher brought me to the end of flight?
I and my fellows wish to continue our amazing dance of life.
What will become of my hive?
Multiple Choice Question
As I began my flight home, I realized that I was not feeling well. I felt heavy, but I did not know why. Would I be able to make it back to the hive? I started to grow more and more tired. Soon, I landed on a lavender plant. I knew that I was close to the end of my life.
This short paragraph rewrites part of “The Bee” as a first-person, prose narrative instead of a poem.
What is the MOST important difference between how the reader might interpret the flight home in “The Bee” if it were written as a first-person narrative instead of a poem?
A.
The reader may not feel the bee’s emotions as intensely.
B.
The reader may not understand the bee’s point of view as well.
C.
The reader may not understand what the bee is thinking as clearly.
D.
The reader may not experience the beauty of the bee’s world as strongly.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is:
D. The reader may not experience the beauty of the bee’s world as strongly.
In a poem, the use of imagery, rhythm, and line breaks often enhances the emotional resonance and aesthetic beauty of the scene. A prose narrative, while it can convey meaning and emotions, may lack the same level of lyrical beauty that a poem often provides, potentially leading to a different experience of the bee's world for the reader.
D. The reader may not experience the beauty of the bee’s world as strongly.
In a poem, the use of imagery, rhythm, and line breaks often enhances the emotional resonance and aesthetic beauty of the scene. A prose narrative, while it can convey meaning and emotions, may lack the same level of lyrical beauty that a poem often provides, potentially leading to a different experience of the bee's world for the reader.