Question

Read the excerpt from the passage.

He cut it short, did the great god Pan,
(How tall it stood in the river!)
Then drew the pith, like the heart of a man,
Steadily from the outside ring,
And notched the poor dry empty thing
In holes, as he sat by the river. (lines 19–24)
How does the simile “like the heart of a man” add to the mood of the poem?


A. It emphasizes Pan’s brutality in creating the instrument.

B. It evokes the feelings of love that Pan has for his instrument.

C. It reflects the frailty of the instrument’s material.

D. It mirrors the enthusiasm Pan is putting in to his creation.

Answer 1

A. It emphasizes Pan’s brutality in creating the instrument.

Explanation: comparing the pith to a human heart makes the act of drawing it out feel violent and intimate, lending a darker, more brutal tone to the scene and heightening the sense of harm and emptiness in the resulting "poor dry empty thing."