- 1
How does "On Virtue" display the speaker's vulnerability?
The speaker appears to think she is vulnerable—perhaps to losing or sacrificing her chastity—and that only Virtue can save her from this threat, which she knows will cause her great damage. In most of the poems thus far, the speaker has been unerringly devout, even when beset with grief; in this poem, we see someone who fears that she cannot understand God and that she might in fact sin in spite of herself. She turns to Virtue in a manner that seems like a plea, hoping it can save her.
- 2
How do the three parts of "Ode to Neptune" constitute a journey?
The first part of the poem begs the sea to give a smooth...
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