Autumn: A Season of Peaceful Abundance

Question 1

What inference can be drawn from "To Autumn"?

A. Autumn is a beautiful season, but spring is much preferred.
B. Autumn is a peaceful and abundant season, full of natural beauty.
C. Autumn is a sad season, and the autumn of life is equally sad.
D. Autumn is simply a precursor to winter, and the autumn of life is a time of grief.

Question 2

Which evidence from the text best supports the answer in Part A?

A. "Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—"
B. "And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook; . . . Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours."
C. "Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river sallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;"
D. "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness . . . Conspiring . . . how to load and bless With fruit the vines . . . And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core."

Answer:

Part A: Autumn is a peaceful and abundant season, full of natural beauty.

Part B:

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness . . . Conspiring . . . how to load and bless With fruit the vines . . . And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core."

"To Autumn" by John Keats beautifully captures the essence of the season, portraying it as a time of peaceful abundance and natural beauty. The poem describes autumn as a season of mists and fruitfulness, where the sun and nature work together to bring forth a bountiful harvest. The imagery of apples, vines, gourds, and hazel shells all bursting with ripeness paints a picture of a season rich with life and abundance.

The poem also touches on the sadness that can come with the changing of seasons, hinting at the fleeting nature of time and the passage of life. However, despite these melancholic undertones, the overall tone of the poem is one of appreciation for the beauty and richness that autumn brings.

The evidence from the text, particularly the description of the "mists and mellow fruitfulness" and the imagery of fruit being filled with ripeness, supports the idea that autumn is a peaceful and abundant season. The poem celebrates the beauty of nature in its autumnal glory, highlighting the richness and fullness that the season brings.