How does the language in Stanza 9 evoke a sense of the time in which the poem is set?

Grieve not so, dear mother, (the just-grown daughter speaks
through her sobs,
The little sisters huddle around speechless and dismay’d,)
See, dearest mother, the letter says Pete will soon be better.

It describes the oldest daughter comforting the mother, indicating that this poem is set at a time when children had to grow up fast.

It uses archaic phrasing such as Grieve not so, indicating the poem is set long ago.

It uses words like "just-grown" to indicate that the poem is set at a time when young women married at an early age.

It describes the youngest sisters as speechless and sad, indicating they are forever young.

The main reason why we can conclude that the poem describes an event that happened a long time ago is because of the archaic language that the daughter uses to address her mother. The way in which the daughter talks is very different from the way most people nowadays talk. On the other hand, the fact that the daughter consoles the mother, that she is described as "just-grown" and that the little sisters are speechless could happen during any time period.

mcarc09 mcarc09 · Answer 2 · 2019-11-26T21:47:24+01:00

Answer:

The language in Stanza 9 evokes a sense of the time in which the poem is set because:

B) it uses archaic phrasing such as "Grieve not so", indicating the poem is set long ago.

Explanation:

The English language has undergone a fast evolution. The structure in use nowadays seems to us much simpler than the one used in archaic English. That is, not only we use more modern words, but the way we arrange them in a sentence is also quite different from what used to be. When we analyze the excerpt of the poem provided in the question, we quickly recognize an archaic structure in the sentence "Grieve not so". As we know, in modern English, the imperative mood employs the auxiliary "don't" when expressing a negative order or request. A young girl who speaks modern English would say, "Don't be sad" instead of "Grieve not so". Notice, as well, that the word "grieve" is not commonly used in informal interactions in modern English. Therefore, we can safely answer letter B) it uses archaic phrasing such as "Grieve not so", indicating the poem is set long ago.