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Verbal·Craft and Structure·Text Structure and Purpose
hard
The following text is from Anne Spencer’s 1922 poem “Translation.”

We trekked into a far country,
My friend and I.
Our deeper content was never spoken,
But each knew all the other said.


He told me how calm his soul was laid
By the lack of anvil and strife.
“The wooing kestrel,” I said, “mutes his mating-note
To please the harmony of this sweet silence.”
Which choice best describes the function of the reference to “anvil and strife” in the text as a whole?
A
It illustrates the deep mutual understanding between the speaker and her friend, who communicate without speaking.
B
It symbolizes the speaker’s friend’s view that meaningful work and social engagement are core components of a fulfilling life.
C
It represents a strong contrast to the speaker’s friend’s current experience of tranquility.
D
It emphasizes how the speaker and her friend perceive their friendship as being different from anything they see in nature.