Percy Bysshe Shelley · English Literature

In 'The Cloud', the narrator (the cloud itself) describes its own existence as:

  1. A permanent and unchanging fixture of the heavens, always present above
  2. A cyclical process of changing form but never truly dying
  3. A willing servant that obeys the commands of both the moon and the sun
  4. A physical manifestation of God's anger directed at sinful humanity below
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Correct answer: A cyclical process of changing form but never truly dying

Shelley uses the cloud to symbolize the persistence of matter and spirit. The poem famously ends with: 'I silent laugh at my own cenotaph... I arise and unbuild it again,' reflecting the scientific and philosophical concept of eternal transformation.

Difficulty: Medium Question 12 of 20

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