Question

Read the poem On Imagination by Phillis Wheatley.

On Imagination by Phillis Wheatley

Imagination! Who can sing thy force?
Or who describe the swiftness of thy course?
Soaring through air to find the bright abode,
Th' empyreal palace of the thund'ring God,
We on thy pinions can surpass the wind,
And leave the rolling universe behind;
From star to star the mental optics rove,
Measure the skies, and range the realms above,
There in one view we grasp the mighty whole,
Or with new worlds amaze th' unbounded soul.

Select the statement that best illustrates the universal theme in the poem.

Weather can be intimidating and limiting.
Imagination is the key to success.
The universe is big and daunting.
Imagination lets you go beyond physical limitations.

Answer 1

Thoughts? The main subject of the poem is imagination so the theme is likely some idea about the concept of imagination.

There’s a lot of grandiose diction to suggest the great scope of imagination. “Empyrean palace of the thund’ring God”, “surpass the wind”, “leave the rolling universe behind”, among others.

With that in mind what do you think?

Answer 2

Imagination lets you go beyond physical limitations.