Read the excerpt from "Pilgrimage."
At the museum, we marvel at their clothes-
preserved under glass-so much smaller
than our own, as if those who wore them
were only children. We sleep in their beds,
the old mansions hunkered on the bluffs, draped
in flowers-funereal-a blur
of petals against the river's gray.
The brochure in my room calls this
living history. The brass plate on the door reads
Prissy's Room. A window frames
The river's crawl toward the Gulf. In my dream,
The ghost of history lies down beside me,
rolls over, pins me beneath a heavy arm.
What does this excerpt express about the impact of
the past on the present?
The past should be viewed and experienced
without emotion.
O The legacy of the past leaves important marks on
the present.
Humanity must progress forward to the present
from the past.
Learning about history can help humanity avoid
past mistakes.