Does <PERSON> appeal to his readers' faith in the last stanza of the "Holy Thursday"?
Here is the poem "Holy Thursday" by <PERSON>:
Is this a holy thing to see,
In a rich and fruitful land?
Babes reduced to misery,
Fed with cold and usurious hand.
Is that trembling cry a song?
Can it be a song of joy?
And so many children poor?
It is a land of poverty!
And their sun does never shine,
And their fields are bleak and bare,
And their ways are filled with thorns;
It is eternal winter there.
For where-e’er the sun does shine,
And where-e’er the rain does fall,
<PERSON> can never hunger there,
Nor poverty the mind appall.
In a practice test on the SAT Literature Subject exam, I found a question about the last stanza specifically:
In the final stanza, what does <PERSON> appeal to in his readers?
I. Their emotions
II. Their faith
III. Their reason
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and III
(E) I, II, and III
The only choice I am completely sure about here is III because it seems logical to have enough food in the place where "the sun does shine" and "the rain does fall" which is not the case in the reality. Also, I can agree with the choice I since the reader can feel pity for those in the poem who lived in poverty and hunger.
However, I can't find a reason why the choice II may be correct. 520
It is understandable that the poem itself does touch the subject of faith, but does <PERSON> appeal to it in the last stanza specifically?
Here is the test explanation for this question:
First, decide which of the Roman numeral item(s) is or are correct. <PERSON> appeals to his readers’ emotions, so item I is correct. Although there is no mention in the stanza of religion, God, or faith, item II, the title “Holy Thursday” implies a religious context, making item II also correct. <PERSON> does call on his readers’ reason, so item III should be included in the answer. Choice (E), which includes items I, II, and III, is the correct answer.
Here, I couldn't find how <PERSON> appeals to faith in the last stanza. Please explain whether the subject of faith is maybe implied in the final stanza or influences it indirectly. 674