Question

Read the excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “Mont Blanc.” Compare it to Mary Shelley’s narrative description of the region. Evaluate whether Percy or Mary Shelley provides a better visual picture of the mountain. Provide details from the selections to support your answers.

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “Mont Blanc”:"The everlasting universe of things

Flows through the mind, and rolls its rapid waves,

Now dark—now glittering—now reflecting gloom—

Now lending splendour, where from secret springs

The source of human thought its tribute brings

Of waters—with a sound but half its own,

Such as a feeble brook will oft assume,

In the wild woods, among the mountains lone,

Where waterfalls around it leap forever,

Where woods and winds contend, and a vast river

Over its rocks ceaselessly bursts and raves.

"Excerpt from Mary Shelley's narrative description of the region:

"The valley of Chamounix, and the surrounding scenery, were still shut out from our view, but the bare and piercing peaks of the mountain above, and the solemn glaciers around, seemed, as we wound our way among the precipices of the hills, to anticipate the appearance of the valley. The abrupt sides of vast mountains were before us; the icy region, the dominions of the king of frost, spread far and wide; inaccessible summits, wrapped in clouds, and surrounded by black pine forests at their base, were seen at intervals; and the thunder of the falling avalanches, reverberated from peak to peak, warned us to avoid their path."

Both Percy and Mary Shelley provide vivid descriptions of Mont Blanc, but in different ways. Percy's poem focuses on the universal themes of nature and the mind, and he uses metaphorical language to describe the mountain, such as "the source of human thought," and "where woods and winds contend." On the other hand, Mary Shelley's description is more grounded in reality, with a focus on the physical details of the mountain, such as the "icy region" and "inaccessible summits."Ultimately, the choice of which description provides a better visual picture of the mountain is subjective and depends on the reader's personal interpretation and preference.

Answer 2

Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley both provide vivid descriptions of Mont Blanc, using different literary techniques.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Mont Blanc," he vividly describes the mountain with romantic imagery and metaphors. For example, he compares the mountain to a "ghostly ship" and describes the "ice cones" as resembling "human snow." On the other hand, Mary Shelley's narrative description of the region in her novel Frankenstein focuses more on the sublime and awe-inspiring aspects of the mountain, mentioning the "eternal snows" and the "dreadful silence."

Both Percy and Mary Shelley provide powerful visual pictures of Mont Blanc, but they do so in different ways. Percy's use of metaphors and vivid language creates a more imaginative and ethereal image of the mountain, while Mary's focus on the sublime and the overwhelming power of nature creates a sense of awe and wonder in the reader.