Laugh and be merry, remember, better the world with a song,
   Better the world with a blow in the teeth of a wrong.
   Laugh, for the time is brief, a thread the length of a span.
   Laugh and be proud to belong to the old proud pageant of man.

(Laugh and Be Merry/John Masefield/Public Domain)

Which of these is the main idea of the poem?

A. Music makes people happy.
B. Take pride in being a human being.
C. Fighting doesn't resolve problems.
D. Life is short; laugh and be merry.

Respuesta :

life is short laugh and be merry

D. Life is short; laugh and be merry.

The main idea of the poem is laugh and be merry. The poet repeats the word laugh three times throughout the poem. Repetition is often a good indicator of theme or the main idea. The poet does mention pride in being a human and fighting but these are not the main idea. Even though a song is mentioned, the song the poet is referring to is the song of laughter. Also, the title of the poem is laugh and be merry, usually titles are good indicators of theme or main idea.