Percy Bysshe Shelley · English Literature

In 'Mont Blanc', what is the central philosophical question Shelley poses about the relationship between the human mind and nature?

  1. Whether the natural power concentrated in mountains is greater than that of any human empire
  2. Would nature exist or have meaning if the human mind were not there to perceive it?
  3. Whether the mountain could literally serve as a home and dwelling place for divine beings
  4. How many glaciers are currently melting and what the rate of loss reveals about climate
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Correct answer: Would nature exist or have meaning if the human mind were not there to perceive it?

The poem concludes with the question: 'And what were thou, and earth, and stars, and sea, / If to the human mind's imaginings / Silence and solitude were vacancy?' This explores the necessity of the human imagination in interpreting the 'Power' of the universe.

Difficulty: Medium Question 10 of 20

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