Question

Read "Sonnet VII" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Then, answer the question that follows. When I too long have looked upon your face, Wherein for me a brightness unobscured Save by the mists of brightness has its place, And terrible beauty not to be endured, I turn away reluctant from your light, And stand irresolute, a mind undone, A silly, dazzled thing deprived of sight From having looked too long upon the sun. Then is my daily life a narrow room In which a little while, uncertainly, Surrounded by impenetrable gloom, Among familiar things grown strange to me Making my way, I pause, and feel, and hark, Till I become accustomed to the dark. The lines in bold contains a shift in attitude. Which of the following best explains that shift? From the wonder of being in nature to the fun of being alone From amazement at beauty to a feeling of not deserving beauty From watching the sun rise to watching the sun set From a feeling of pure sadness to a feeling of overwhelming joy

Answer 1

The shift in attitude in the poem 'Sonnet VII' by Edna St. Vincent Millay can be best explained as a shift from amazement at beauty to a feeling of not deserving beauty.

Step-by-step explanation:

The shift in attitude in the poem 'Sonnet VII' by Edna St. Vincent Millay can be best explained as a shift from amazement at beauty to a feeling of not deserving beauty.

In the bold lines, the speaker describes the overwhelming beauty of the person's face and expresses reluctance to continue looking at it. This shift suggests that the speaker feels unworthy of the beauty and becomes uncertain and disoriented in their own life.

The speaker eventually becomes accustomed to the dark, implying a resignation to their own unworthiness and a desire to escape from the overwhelming beauty.