Symbolism · English Literature

In Guillaume Apollinaire's calligram 'The Bleeding Heart and the Fountain' ('La Colombe poignardée et le jet d'eau'), the weeping fountain serves as a symbol for:

  1. The engineering triumph of Parisian public waterworks
  2. Collective grief and endless tears shed for friends scattered by World War I
  3. The refreshing, rejuvenating properties of youthful romance
  4. The visual design of formal French gardens at Versailles
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Correct answer: Collective grief and endless tears shed for friends scattered by World War I

Apollinaire shapes his poem visually like a fountain, using the falling water as a poignant symbol of grief and memory. The fountain represents the endless weeping for his artistic peers and loved ones who are fighting or dying on the battlefields of the Great War.

Difficulty: Medium Question 7 of 13

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