Excerpt from The Life and Work of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Rebecca Sparling



6 Devastated by her brother’s death, the now-esteemed poet returned to her father’s London residence where she spent the next five years living in seclusion. Rarely taking visitors, Elizabeth’s only solace was found in her correspondences with artists, scholars, and friends. In these letters, she expressed her views on a number of issues, including the ills of slavery, the rights of women, and the intolerable institution of child labor. Of slavery, she wrote to one friend, “How you look serenely at slavery, I cannot understand, and I distrust your power to explain.”

Which of these BEST summarizes Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s feelings about slavery?
A) She believed that slavery was offensive.
B) She knew that slavery was a necessary evil.
C) She believed that slavery helped many countries prosper.
D) She knew that slavery allowed her to live a privileged life.