Read the following passage from Whitman's "Song of the Open Road" and answer the question.

You must not stay sleeping and dallying there in the house,
though you built it, or though it has been built for you.

Out of the dark confinement! out from behind the screen!

Which sentence best paraphrases the passage above?

Wake up and quit wasting time inside. Get outside and into the light!
Stay inside! It is safer and wiser.
Keep sleeping so that you may dream of a better world.
Quit wasting time! Close the screen and then close the door.

the first sentence best paraphrases the passage because the text mentions escaping the dark confinement which symbolizes isolation and loneliness. The first sentence accurately paraphrases the passage's message to live life and not spend all of one's days inside a house.

Answer Link

mcarc09 mcarc09 · Answer 2 · 2019-11-08T14:05:09+01:00

Answer:

The best answer is indeed the first option: Wake up and quit wasting time inside. Get outside and into the light!

Explanation:

In his poem "Song of the Open Road", Whitman talks of not wanting to be confined any longer. The speaker has decided to live out in the open, to travel and see the world. He even claims that healthy and beautiful people are formed by air and light, by spending their time outdoors. The speaker feels free and welcomed by the world, which is now his home.

In the excerpt we are studying here, the speaker is inviting someone, possibly the reader, to come with him. He's urging the reader to leave the confinement of his own house and embracing freedom outside. Thus, the best paraphrase for the passage is "Wake up and quit wasting time inside. Get outside and into the light!"