In the poem "The Lady of Shalott," what does the web she weaves symbolize?
A. Anger.
B. Pain.
C. Reality.
D. A curse.
I'm stuck between C and D?
I would choose D. Check this site.
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/tennyson/section2.rhtml
well, all of part II is what she sees of the weaving through the mirror, and it reflects reality. Remember weavers worked from the back of the loom, and had side mirrors to see what the front was looking like to the eventual observer.
Reality can be a curse if it means that you die.
And a mirror is likely to "warp" reality... so this may be a case of either is a good answer.
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/tennyson/fanous5.html
In order to determine the symbol of the web the Lady of Shalott weaves in the poem "The Lady of Shalott," we need to analyze the poem itself. The web can be seen as a metaphorical representation of the Lady's isolation and imprisonment. It signifies her detachment from the real world and her reliance on a distorted reality through the mirror she looks into to view the outside world.
The poem describes the Lady being under a curse, where she is confined to her tower and can only view the world through the mirror. She is forbidden to directly look out of the window. This curse prevents her from experiencing the outside world firsthand and isolates her from true reality. The web she weaves represents the intricate and illusory world she creates in her confinement.
Considering these elements, the symbol of the web is most closely associated with option D, which is "a curse." The web reflects the Lady's cursed existence and her inability to directly engage with the outside world. While option C, "reality," may seem plausible, it is important to note that the Lady is not directly connected to reality, and instead is separated from it by the curse and her confinement.
Therefore, the symbol of the web in "The Lady of Shalott" primarily represents the Lady's curse and her isolated existence. The correct answer is D.