Longing

Question

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!

"Longing" by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Question
Use the poem to answer the question.

What is one way in which diction affects the meaning of the poem?

(1 point)
Responses

The word choice contributes to a joyful mood.
The word choice contributes to a joyful mood.

The word choice contributes to an angry mood.
The word choice contributes to an angry mood.

The repetition in each stanza highlights the speaker’s feelings of loneliness.
The repetition in each stanza highlights the speaker’s feelings of loneliness.

The repetition in each stanza highlights the speaker’s love for the sea.
The repetition in each stanza highlights the speaker’s love for the sea.
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Answer 1

The correct response is:

The repetition in each stanza highlights the speaker’s feelings of loneliness.

This choice is supported by the structure of the poem, where the speaker expresses a desire for companionship and reflects on the emptiness felt in the absence of that companionship, emphasizing a sense of longing and isolation.