Question 24 of 25 • AA Spring 26 British Literature
Read the lines from Spenser’s "Sonnet 75.”Vain man, said she, that dost in vain assayA mortal thing so to immortalize;For I myself shall like to this decay,And eke my name be wiped out likewise.Now read the lines from Donne’s "Holy Sonnet 10.” One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And Death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Answer
A
In both sonnets, the speakers seek to understand why mortality is so final and unavoidable.
B
In both sonnets, the speakers say that people need to be immortalized to be remembered after death.
C
The speaker in the first sonnet seeks immortality, while the speaker in the second emphasizes the need to accept mortality.
D
The speaker in the first sonnet says mortality is inevitable, while the speaker in the second emphasizes that the soul continues on.