“Sonnet XLIII” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s 5 Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right; I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith. 10 I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.
Use the poem to answer the question.
What tone does the meter help the poem achieve?
A.satirical criticism
B.melancholy grief
C.solemn confidence
D.religious devotion
E.timid fearfulness
C. solemn confidence
The meter of the poem, with its regular iambic pentameter and consistent rhyme scheme, helps to create a tone of solemn confidence. The repetition of "I love thee" and the structured form of the poem convey a sense of certainty and sincerity in the speaker's declaration of love.