What colour is the young woman's hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?
(i) The young woman's hair is yellow (described as honey-coloured by the young man).
(ii) She says she can change it to brown, or black, or carrot colour using a hair-dye.
(iii) She wants to change her hair colour so that young men may love her for herself alone and not just for her yellow hair, which throws them into despair.
Explanation
The poem 'For Anne Gregory' by W.B. Yeats presents a conversation about whether someone can be loved for themselves rather than their physical appearance. The young man points out that her honey-coloured/yellow hair causes young men to be thrown into despair, implying they are attracted to her external beauty. The young woman responds that she can dye her hair to brown, black, or carrot colour, hoping that by removing the feature that attracts men superficially, they might love her for her true self. This highlights the theme of appearance versus inner identity.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify the hair colour from the poem - 'yellow' hair and 'honey-coloured ramparts'.
Step 2: Find what she can change it to - 'Brown, or black, or carrot' using a hair-dye.
Step 3: Determine her reason - to be loved 'for yourself alone' and not for her yellow hair.