Question

Which is the effect of lines 16-17 in relation to the rest of the poem?

• A. They reveal God's egotism.
• B. They heighten anticipation for the last line.
• C. They shift the narrative voice.
• D. They echo the last lines of the first stanza.
• E. They reveal the poet's true fellings

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

They heighten anticipation for the last line.

"Then God, in all his splendor,
Arose from his throne." - this line in the poem comes at a crucial point and raises our anticipation of God's reaction. This is so because just before this line the little blade had confessed that he couldn't recall any good deeds done by him. So, the lines in question raise our anticipation of God's reaction to this confession. Option B is the best answer. The other options are incorrect because the effect of lines 16-17 is definitely not what these choices state.