Question

Read the passage.

To Waken an Old Lady
by William Carlos Williams

Old age is
a flight of small
cheeping birds
skimming
bare trees
above a snow glaze.
Gaining and failing
they are buffeted
by a dark wind —
But what?
On harsh weedstalks
the flock has rested,
the snow
is covered with broken
seedhusks
and the wind tempered
by a shrill
piping of plenty.

What clues do these supporting details provide about the poem’s main idea?

Life is lonely and difficult for elderly people.

Snowy and windy weather is awful.

Elderly people have the ability to overcome the difficulties of old age.

Young birds need protection from bad weather.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The supporting details provide clues that elderly people, like the small birds in the poem, face challenges and difficulties in old age but are able to find moments of comfort and abundance. The imagery of the birds being buffeted by a dark wind and resting on harsh weedstalks suggests a sense of struggle, but the presence of broken seedhusks and a shrill piping of plenty indicates that there are moments of abundance and beauty even in old age. This suggests that elderly people have the ability to overcome the difficulties of old age and find moments of joy and fulfillment.