Read the poem "Grass" and answer the question that follows.

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.

Shovel them under and let me work-

I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.

Shovel them under and let me work.

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?

Where are we now?

I am the grass.

Let me work.

How does the use of repetition best contribute to the meaning of the poem?

It creates a soothing and comforting sound that softens the harshness of reality.

It illustrates the tedium of modern life.

It emphasizes how the casualties of war repeat across time and place.

It emphasizes the cycle of life and death.

Question

Turner Johnston

English

2 May, 02:29

Read the poem "Grass" and answer the question that follows.

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.

Shovel them under and let me work-

I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.

Shovel them under and let me work.

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?

Where are we now?

I am the grass.

Let me work.

How does the use of repetition best contribute to the meaning of the poem?

It creates a soothing and comforting sound that softens the harshness of reality.

It illustrates the tedium of modern life.

It emphasizes how the casualties of war repeat across time and place.

It emphasizes the cycle of life and death.

+1

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Tiana Ortiz · Answer 1

It emphasizes how the casualties of war repeat across time and place.

The poem repeats the word "pile" and the phrases "pile them high", "I am the grass", and "let me work". Since not only is the action of the grass repeated but also the piling of bodies, the best answer should include both ideas. It emphasizes the casualties of war, "pile them high", across time and place "I am the grass". Grass is everywhere and from all time periods. This is also furthered with the names of the battles from many different wars and countries.