Which idea is emphasized in the second stanza of “Sympathy”?

Question

A.The speaker is unsure of the bird’s feelings.
B.The bird is becoming numb to its pain.
C.The bird’s suffering is ongoing.
D.The speaker questions the bird’s motivation and actions.

6b.
Which line from the poem best supports the answer to Part A?
A.I know why the caged bird beats its wing
B.For he must fly back to his perch and cling
C.When he fain would be on the bough a-swing
D.And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars

(1) I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
(5) When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
(10) For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!

(15) I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
(20) But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!

Answer 1

For the first question regarding the idea emphasized in the second stanza of "Sympathy," the best answer is:

C. The bird’s suffering is ongoing.

In the second stanza, the mention of "a pain still throbs in the old, old scars" indicates that the bird is not just experiencing a one-time pain, but that its suffering is continuous and persistent.

For the second question, the line from the poem that best supports the answer to Part A is:

D. And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars.

This line illustrates the ongoing nature of the bird's suffering, reinforcing the idea that the bird is continuously in pain.