Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this poem. In "To a Poor Old Woman," how does the woman herself serve as a symbol?
She represents the true happiness that can be experienced by partaking in life's simple pleasures, which helps give the poem
its optimistic mood.
She represents the indifference of society towards its most vulnerable members, which creates the poem's dour mood.
She represents the beauty of nature in comparison to the ugliness of technology, which stresses the poem's sullen mood.
She represents the basic decency and generosity that people exhibit towards one another every day, which conveys the
poem's joyous mood.