Answer :
Final answer:
In 'Ode to a Nightingale,' the poet John Keats exhibits a combination of admiration and envy towards the nightingale, hence the correct option is a) Admiration and envy.
Explanation:
The poet's attitude toward the nightingale in John Keats's Ode to a Nightingale is a complicated mixture of feelings, but it is best summarized as a mixture of envy and admiration. Keats expresses deep admiration for the nightingale's ability to sing so effortlessly and to embody the beauty and purity of nature.
The nightingale is seen as a symbol of eternal voice and transcendental beauty, unaffected by the sorrows and trials of human life. At the same time, Keats envies the bird's carefree existence and its seeming immunity to the suffering and mortality that plague humanity. The persistent theme of seeking escape from the pain of the world, only to be reminded of reality's inescapable grip, underscores the poet's profound envy of the nightingale's perceived freedom.
The poem reflects Keats's longing to transcend his own mortal condition and achieve the nightingale's state of blissful and eternal song. The nightingale's song represents a form of pure art untouched by human suffering, an ideal that Keats aspires to in his poetry but finds ultimately unattainable. This interplay of emotions manifests Keats's own struggles with the impermanence of joy and the inevitability of death. Thus, the correct answer to the student's question is admiration and envy, which is option (a).
