Read the excerpt below and answer the question. Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you As yet but knock; breathe, shine, and seek to mend; (lines 1-2) Which of the underlined words is an example of an aggressive verb?

Batter

shine

seek

mend

Batter

Explanation:

In this excerpt from one of John Donne's Holy Sonnets (Divine Meditation 14), out of the given words, "Batter" is an example of an aggressive verb as it refers to "striking repeatedly with hard blows", or "defeating", and hence denotes violence and aggression. The connotation is just as aggressive. The narrator passionately asks "three-person'd God" to not go gentle with him like he always did, but to batter his heart, to 'imprison' him and 'enthrall' him, to make him new (later in the sonnet). The use of aggressive verbs initensifies the feeling the narrator conveys and lends the sonnet a fast pace and a passionate tone.

'Batter' here is contrasted with 'knock', 'breathe', 'shine', and 'seek[ing] to mend', all of which connote the gentleness, healing, and care which the "three-person'd God' bestowed upon him.