Question

Which of the following lines from the poem “to be of use” best conveys the connotation that hard work is associated with dignity and gratification?
A) “they seem to become natives of that element,”
B) “I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,”
C) “The work of the world is common as mud.”
D) “Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.”

Answer 1

The lines from the poem “to be of use” that best conveys the connotation that hard work is associated with dignity and gratification is “I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,”. The answer is letter B.

Answer 2

Answer:

B) “I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,”

Explanation:

Option B line comes from the second stanza of the "To Be of Use" poem by Marge Piercy, which goes like this:

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,

who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,

who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,

who do what has to be done, again and again.

In the line, the author compares hard-working people to an ox which it's an animal that have great resistance in doing arduous works, while showing gratification, dignity and that she is pleased with this kind of people by mentioning that she loved "people who harness themselves".