Read the quotation from "some keep the sabbath going to church."

and instead of tolling the bell, for church,
our little sexton – sings.

what is the most likely reason for the poet to oppose the phrases “tolling the bell” and “sings” in these lines?

a) the poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option.

b) the poet is hinting that religious worship should be considered a gloomy and serious activity.

c) the poet is suggesting that those who worship in nature are more formal than those who worship in church.

d) the poet is contrasting her attitude about religion with her feelings about the natural world, which remains largely unappreciated.

A) The poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option.

In this excerpt, the author is comparing two different types of worship. On the one hand, there is the more formal and common version. This includes attending church and following all the rites that the church mandates, such as tolling the bell and reading scripture. On the other hand, there is a more natural way to achieve a connection to God. The author argued that the second way, which includes singing, is more natural and desirable than the first option.

The answer is A. The poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option.

EXPLANATION

Emily Dickinson is the writer of Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church. Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830. She was born into an influential family. Society saw her family as a prominent family, and her family also gave influence to other people. Dickinson has spent 7 years of her early life to study at Amherst Academy. Later on, Dickinson returned home in Amherst, Massachusetts after briefly attending the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.  

Emily Dickinson was an unusual person. Society saw her as an eccentric person who was different than normal people back then. Dickinson liked to live in isolation from the people around her. In her life, she did not leave her bedroom and ignored guests. She did not want to greet and talk to guests. The base of Dickinson’s friendship is correspondence. Dickinson also has developed a preference for white clothes.

There are more than 1000 poems that Dickinson has written in her life. Only less than a dozen of her poems are actually published. Her poems usually consist of short lines and a lack of titles, and this made her poems unique. Slant rhyme is considered as her own style of writing. Immortality and death are the two topics that she often loves. She and her friends liked to discuss these kinds of topics.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church’s views on religious custom:  

Quotation from Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church:  

KEYWORD: Emily Dickinson, Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church, faith

Subject: English

Class: 10-12

Subchapter: Emily Dickinson