Curated set · answers marked
Which of the following best describes the central conceit of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Sonnet 29: I Think of Thee"?
AThe speaker likens her beloved to a vast ocean that engulfs her thoughts.
BThe speaker likens her thoughts of her beloved to wild vines growing around a tree, which represents the beloved himself.✓
CThe speaker likens her love to a fierce flame that devours everything in its path.
DThe speaker likens her beloved to a distant star that she can admire but never reach.
Rationale
In "Sonnet 29," Barrett Browning employs the extended metaphor of wild vines (the speaker's thoughts) wrapping around a tree (the beloved). Ultimately, the speaker yearns to put aside her mere thoughts of him so that his genuine, living presence can take their place — just as a tree's own strength and reality surpass the vines that cling to it.
In "Sonnet 29: I Think of Thee!" from Sonnets from the Portuguese, what does the speaker ultimately ask her beloved to do so that her thoughts of him are replaced by his actual presence?
AWrite her a letter declaring his love
BStay away so her imagination can flourish
CCome to her and renew his presence, pushing aside her thoughts like a tree breaking through wild vines✓
DSend a portrait so she may gaze upon his face
Rationale
The speaker employs the extended metaphor of wild vines (her thoughts) entwined around a tree (her beloved). She urges him to "renew thy presence" and break through her clinging thoughts, because his real, living self is far greater than any image she can create in her mind. The poem highlights the importance of presence over imagination.