"President Lincoln's Declaration of Emancipation, January 1, 1863 by Frances E. W. Harper
It shall flash through coming ages,
It shall light the distant years;
And eyes now dim with sorrow
Shall be brighter through their tears
It shall flush the mountain ranges,
And the valleys shall grow bright;
It shall bathe the hills in radiance,
And crown their brows with light
It shall flood with golden splendor
All the huts of Caroline;
And the sun-kissed brow of labor
With lustre new shall shine.
It shall gild the gloomy prison,
Darkened by the nation's crime,
Where the dumb and patient millions
Wait the better-coming time.
By the light that gilds their prison
They shall see its mouldering key;
And the bolts and bars shall vibrate
With the triumphs of the free.
Though the morning seemed to linger
O'er the hill-tops far away,
Now the shadows bear the promise
Of the quickly coming day.
Soon the mists and murky shadows
Shall be fringed with crimson light,
And the glorious dawn freedom
Break refulgent on the sight.
4. Which of the following is the best paraphrase of the sixth stanza?
A) the day is coming over the hills, but shadows are still darkening the immediate surroundings.
B) the morning is lingering over the landscape, and shadows grow darker.
C) the day will be coming soon, but the shadows are somehow remaining despite the sun.
D) it seems like the morning is not coming soon, but the shadows reveal that the day is coming quickly.***
This is a quiz that'll determine a large part of my grade so I may reply with other answers that I need reviewed thanks!
morning=end of Civil war
shadows=the dark days of fighting and death.
So in 1863, was it coming quickly? Or Not? I personally think there is a better answer than D. What do you think.
I agree with your answer.
The shadows are not the Civil War, the shadow is slavery. Ms. Hopkins was not writing about war, she was writing about slavery.
Er, Ms. Harper, not Hopkins. My error.
B would be my second choice! It's just very tricky.
@bobpursley ^ ?
B is not a good answer. The shadows do not deepen and grow darker with the coming of daylight. They grow shorter and brighter as the light of the sun rises in the sky. D is the best answer. The key words in stanza six are "freedom" (emancipation of slaves), and "dawn" and "refulgent light".
Ok, thank you Reed. Obviously that's what I thought but the first tutor had made this very tricky for me. But now I understand.
The poet, an African-American woman, saw the darkness and shadows and mist as metaphors for slavery. The light, the dawn, the sun, are all metaphors for the emancipation proclamation, freeing slaves from bondage.
To determine the best paraphrase of the sixth stanza, it is important to understand the meaning of the original text. In this stanza, the speaker talks about how the morning, representing a new beginning or freedom, appears to be taking a long time to arrive. However, the shadows, representing the obstacles or challenges, reveal that the day of freedom is actually coming quickly.
Now, let's analyze the given paraphrase options:
A) "The day is coming over the hills, but shadows are still darkening the immediate surroundings." - This option captures the idea that the day is approaching, but the immediate surroundings are still affected by shadows. However, it does not explicitly mention the quick arrival of the day, which is an important aspect of the original text.
B) "The morning is lingering over the landscape, and shadows grow darker." - This option indicates that the morning is lasting for a long time and the shadows are intensifying. However, it does not convey the message that the day is actually coming quickly despite the lingering morning.
C) "The day will be coming soon, but the shadows are somehow remaining despite the sun." - This choice suggests that the day will arrive soon, but the shadows persist despite the presence of the sun. However, it does not capture the sense of anticipation and quick arrival of the day indicated in the original text.
D) "It seems like the morning is not coming soon, but the shadows reveal that the day is coming quickly." - This option is the best paraphrase because it effectively conveys the meaning of the original stanza. It acknowledges the delay in the arrival of the morning (freedom), but emphasizes that the shadows (obstacles) actually signify that the day is approaching rapidly.
Therefore, the best paraphrase of the sixth stanza is:
D) "It seems like the morning is not coming soon, but the shadows reveal that the day is coming quickly."