Read this excerpt and complete the sentences that follow. A Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman (excerpt) When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, "Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies But keep your fancy free." But I was one-and-twenty, No use to talk to me. When I was one-and-twenty I heard him say again, "The heart out of the bosom Was never given in vain; 'Tis paid with sighs a plenty And sold for endless rue." And I am two-and-twenty, And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true. The central theme of the poem is . In the end, the poet the wise man's views.

The correct answer is:

The central theme of the poem is The suffering that love produces by giving your heart away . In the end, the poet accepts the wise man's views.

Explanation:

This excerpt, like the entire poem, shows the suffering of unrequited love.

The wise man tells this 21-year-old boy that it is preferable to give material gifts rather than give his heart. "Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away".

The boy says there is no point in hearing those words, because he is 21 years old. But in the end, when he is 28 years old, he realizes that the words of this wise man were true, and that now he is really suffering.

the irony is that the name has ''fortunate'' in it, but the kid named fortunato is not fortunate to be named that.

explanation:

taking into account that a theme is the central topic a text treats and can be developed through a story, play, poem etc. the following are themes that can be further developed:  

my best friend jeffrey has many unusual interests. (the story could be about each of the unususal interests)

once a man gives his soul over to evil, he can never go back. (this could be a saying or a proverb)

the three sheepdogs lay around the yard all day. (it could be developed detailing how each of these sheepdogs lay around)

a priest's collar has an unusual effect upon people. (it could be developed detailing the different effect upon people)

innocence is a powerful force in a world full of corruption. (it could be developed detailing how is a world full of corruption)

king lear is a play shakespeare wrote later. (it is just a sentence and doesnt give any idea or topic to be discussed in details.

evil often wears the disguise of innocence. (this could be a saying or a proverb)