Which is the closest synonym for overwhelm

Crusoes inner struggle with the consequences

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?

What does it appear that the speaker of the poem wants to do? caged bird by alicia keys question options: sing be adored by fans be set free from public scrutiny be shared with the whole world