Read the poem. excerpt from “I Explain a Few Things” by Pablo Neruda And one morning all was aflame and one morning the fires came out of the earth devouring people, and from then on fire, gunpowder from then on, and from then on blood. Bandits with airplanes and with Moors, bandits with rings and duchesses, bandits with black-robed friars blessing came through the air to kill children, and through the streets the blood of children ran simply, like children’s blood. Jackals that the jackal would spurn, stones that the dry thistle would bite spitting, vipers that vipers would abhor! Facing you I have seen the blood of Spain rise up to drown you in a single wave of pride and knives! Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this poem. Which explanation about “I Explain a Few Things” best develops the speaker’s viewpoint that adversity only makes his compatriots stronger? The image of friars blessing the bombs that kill the children provides an example of why those under attack are anxious to fight back. By portraying the fires, gunpowder, and blood, the speaker shows that the horror of this war will only end when their opponents give up. The image of fellow citizens rising up and drowning the enemy in a wave of “pride and knives” demonstrates that they will remain defiant. By describing their opponents as “Jackals that the jackal would spurn,” the speaker stresses that an enemy this brutal is difficult to stand against.