Use context to determine the meaning of the word alas as it is used in the first line of "Sympathy".

Question

Sympathy

Use context to determine the meaning of the word alas as it is used in the first line of "Sympathy".

Use context to determine the meaning of the word alas as it is used in the first line of "Sympathy". Write your definition of "alas" and check your inferred meaning in a print or digital dictionary. Explain how the use of this word in the first line affects the tone of the poem.

Asked by Ashely L #894192 on 4/30/2019 2:10 AM

Last updated by jill d #170087 on 6/14/2023 11:17 AM

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Answered by jill d #170087 on 6/14/2023 11:16 AM

In context, the word "alas" conveys the speaker's compassion or pity for the caged bird, noting he understands how the bird feels. From the, we might infer that like the bird, the speaker is constrained or oppressed, and that he longs for the same thing.

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