Response

1. a. Why does the lady say the speaker's efforts are futile? The lady says that the speaker's efforts are futile because he is attempting to etch her memory into the sand but the waves repeatedly wash it away. She says that, because of the inevitability of death and diminishment, it is vain to try to make a meaningful mark on the universe. The etching on the sand would fade just as she would die, making the whole endeavor pointless. b. summarize speaker's response The speaker responds that it is not the etching itself which is significant but rather the love that is represented by its creation. The idea will live for eternity, long after its physical form fades. The feeling, symbolized by the act of creation and transcending the physical world, is eternal and not futile. c. what connection does the poem make between immortality and poetry? The poem suggests that poetry eternalizes the feelings evoked by the material world. The basis for poetry is not in the physical world, where things are subject to decay, but deeper in the minds of generations, where feelings and memories can flourish in spite of changing circumstances.

2.Compare and contrast the relationship between speaker and his love? The speaker demonstrates a rather romantic or even Utopian complexion while his love exercises a more pragmatic, skeptical mind frame. The speaker ensures longevity and even eternity of his claim, justified through the indelible trace of his poetry. His love, however, denounces such idealism and is a resolute adherent to the inevitable decay of human creations.

3. Is the speaker overreacting to his situation? To remark on the extent of reaction of the speaker toward his situation requires a firmer understanding of the basis of his "love". Had the speaker been enveloped by a mere infatuation, certainly may his affectionate poetry be considered an overreaction. Contrarily, the potency of true love would fully justify the extent of the speaker's reaction.