Which of the following inferences about the speaker is best supported by the poem’s first stanza (lines 1-4)?
I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there’s a pair of us
Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!
Answer choices for the above question
A. The speaker assumes that the listener is on her side.
B. The speaker wants to change her name to something unfamiliar.
C. The speaker fears the judgment of others.
D. The speaker is tired of being famous.
C. The speaker fears the judgment of others.
To determine the best inference about the speaker supported by the poem's first stanza, let's look at the lines and analyze them.
The first stanza of the poem is as follows:
I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there’s a pair of us
Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!
In these lines, the speaker identifies herself as "Nobody" and asks the listener if they are also a "Nobody." The speaker then suggests that if they are both "Nobodies," they should keep it a secret because if word gets out, they would be advertised or exposed.
From this analysis, the best inference about the speaker supported by the first stanza is:
C. The speaker fears the judgment of others.
The line "Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!" implies that the speaker wants to keep their identity as a "Nobody" hidden, suggesting they are afraid of being judged or exposed to the attention of others.
To arrive at this answer, one could simply analyze the text and understand the implications of the speaker's words.