class 9 treasure trove the cold within poem summary
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first stanza
The first stanza is the opening of a narration as is recalled by the poet himself. The first line, “Six humans trapped by happenstance” means that this six individuals and not a group of six people are trapped or stuck at a situation owing to chance, which also means that they aren’t together out of will but are brought together by mere fate. Whereas, the use of the word, “trapped” signifies that they aren’t really happy in this situation.
The second line, however, tells us about the weather which is “bleak and bitter cold”. In this line the poet is trying to make his readers familiar with the setting of his narration. The poet, further, informs his readers that each of these “six humans” “possessed stick of wood/ Or so…” as he recalls the story once heard. Hence, the first stanza sets the scene of the narration that is to follow.
second stanza
The second stanza is actually the second phase of the narration; it is in this stanza that we get to know the first character of the story. As the first stanza has already made clear that the story took place in a “bitter cold” place. Hence, the line “Their dying fire in need of logs” further, establishes the point that the prospects of the characters in the story aren’t really good, as they are all stuck with each other in this cold weather where the only source of heat which is a “dying fire” and is in the need of logs.
But “the first man” who has a log which can save the fire from dying “held his back” which means he has refused to give his log not because he is selfish but because he sees a black man sitting around the fire too. He would struggle rather than save a black man. Thus, he chose to struggle rather than give his log to the fire which would have saved him and the black man alike.
third stanza
In this stanza, the poet describes another sort of tension prevailing in the story which is discrimination based on religious differences, also known as bigotry.“The next man” refused to give his log into the fire because he saw a man sitting around who did not belong to his Church and as such, does not share his religious ideology.
This religious difference held his heart from giving his log to the fire which can save him along with the person who belongs to a different religious group.
fourth stanza
In this stanza, the poet introduces “ the third one sat in tattered clothes” which meant that this man is poor and as his clothes are tattered so he must be struggling more than the others in this cold weather.
The poet further describes that this third man pulls his cloth closer to his body “He gave his coat a hitch”, because he was cold and yet, refused to give his log to save the dying fire as he didn’t want to help the “idle rich”. In this stanza, the poet showed the discrimination based on the economic standard of different individuals.
fifth stanza
In this stanza, the poet says that while the poor man refused to help this “idle rich”, the latter isn’t really bothered as he is busy calculating as to “how to keep what he had earned/ From the lazy shiftless poor”. By “what he had earned” the poet is actually referring to the log that he has with him.
The thing to be noted in these two stanzas is that both poor and the rich has the prejudice about the other of being “idle” and “lazy
sixth stanza
This stanza depicts the emotions of hatred and revenge that rises from the discrimination done to him. These strong emotions of revenge turns the poor black man, supposedly a victim.
He sees this as an opportunity “to spite the white” rather than save his life. Thus, the only opportunity that the black man has of saving his life he wastes it in the quest of taking revenge from the white.
seventh stanza
This second last stanza introduces the last man of the group who as the line “Did nought except for gain” suggests is a business man. As such he will not spend his resources without making sure that he has gained something in return. He was ready to give “only to those who gave”.
Whereas, the line “Was how he played the game” suggests that each individual character of this story took the only chance of saving their life, as a game in which they are to defeat their enemies even at the cost of their lives. It’s important to win and make sure that the opponent suffers rather than save his own life.
eighth stanza
This stanza brings a conclusion to the whole story. Just like the other traditional parable, the concluding stanza of this poem, highlights the moral of the whole story and stated the consequences brought by the actions of these characters.
According to the poet in this stanza, the act of discrimination is the act of human sin which ultimately leads to death. The last two lines of the poem, brings the whole concept of the story narrated that it is the coldness of heart and a lack of human spirit that kills humanity as a whole and not the cold outside. Do check out the detailed analysis of The Cold Within by James Patrick Kinney here.
The first stanza is the opening of a narration as is recalled by the poet himself. The first line, “Six humans trapped by happenstance” means that this six individuals and not a group of six people are trapped or stuck at a situation owing to chance, which also means that they aren’t together out of will but are brought together by mere fate. Whereas, the use of the word, “trapped” signifies that they aren’t really happy in this situation.
The second line, however, tells us about the weather which is “bleak and bitter cold”. In this line the poet is trying to make his readers familiar with the setting of his narration. The poet, further, informs his readers that each of these “six humans” “possessed stick of wood/ Or so…” as he recalls the story once heard. Hence, the first stanza sets the scene of the narration that is to follow.
second stanza
The second stanza is actually the second phase of the narration; it is in this stanza that we get to know the first character of the story. As the first stanza has already made clear that the story took place in a “bitter cold” place. Hence, the line “Their dying fire in need of logs” further, establishes the point that the prospects of the characters in the story aren’t really good, as they are all stuck with each other in this cold weather where the only source of heat which is a “dying fire” and is in the need of logs.
But “the first man” who has a log which can save the fire from dying “held his back” which means he has refused to give his log not because he is selfish but because he sees a black man sitting around the fire too. He would struggle rather than save a black man. Thus, he chose to struggle rather than give his log to the fire which would have saved him and the black man alike.
third stanza
In this stanza, the poet describes another sort of tension prevailing in the story which is discrimination based on religious differences, also known as bigotry.“The next man” refused to give his log into the fire because he saw a man sitting around who did not belong to his Church and as such, does not share his religious ideology.
This religious difference held his heart from giving his log to the fire which can save him along with the person who belongs to a different religious group.
fourth stanza
In this stanza, the poet introduces “ the third one sat in tattered clothes” which meant that this man is poor and as his clothes are tattered so he must be struggling more than the others in this cold weather.
The poet further describes that this third man pulls his cloth closer to his body “He gave his coat a hitch”, because he was cold and yet, refused to give his log to save the dying fire as he didn’t want to help the “idle rich”. In this stanza, the poet showed the discrimination based on the economic standard of different individuals.
fifth stanza
In this stanza, the poet says that while the poor man refused to help this “idle rich”, the latter isn’t really bothered as he is busy calculating as to “how to keep what he had earned/ From the lazy shiftless poor”. By “what he had earned” the poet is actually referring to the log that he has with him.
The thing to be noted in these two stanzas is that both poor and the rich has the prejudice about the other of being “idle” and “lazy
sixth stanza
This stanza depicts the emotions of hatred and revenge that rises from the discrimination done to him. These strong emotions of revenge turns the poor black man, supposedly a victim.
He sees this as an opportunity “to spite the white” rather than save his life. Thus, the only opportunity that the black man has of saving his life he wastes it in the quest of taking revenge from the white.
seventh stanza
This second last stanza introduces the last man of the group who as the line “Did nought except for gain” suggests is a business man. As such he will not spend his resources without making sure that he has gained something in return. He was ready to give “only to those who gave”.
Whereas, the line “Was how he played the game” suggests that each individual character of this story took the only chance of saving their life, as a game in which they are to defeat their enemies even at the cost of their lives. It’s important to win and make sure that the opponent suffers rather than save his own life.
eighth stanza
This stanza brings a conclusion to the whole story. Just like the other traditional parable, the concluding stanza of this poem, highlights the moral of the whole story and stated the consequences brought by the actions of these characters.
According to the poet in this stanza, the act of discrimination is the act of human sin which ultimately leads to death. The last two lines of the poem, brings the whole concept of the story narrated that it is the coldness of heart and a lack of human spirit that kills humanity as a whole and not the cold outside. Do check out the detailed analysis of The Cold Within by James Patrick Kinney here.
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Answer:
Six humans were trapped by chance in a bitter cold where each of them were having a log with them, but instantly no one gave their logs which have a particular reason which is narrated in the form of this poem.
Explanation:there were six humans they refused to give their logs as the first person in the poem is a woman and was the racist as she notices that on of the faces was black ,so she took her log back ,the second person in the man where he find out that one of them does not belong to the same church , where even he refuses to use the log,the third person was a poor man with tattered clothes where he gives his coat a hitch to protect himself from the freezing cold where even he refuses to give his log because he want to prevent the rich to get warm , the fourth person in the poem was the rich man where he thinks of his wealth in which he have in his store and how to keep it safe from the poor man where even the rich man refuses to give his log,the fifth person in the poem is the black man where he is revengeful and the only thing visible to him in his stick is a chance to harm the white man.,the last man or the sixth person in the group is man of selfish who always expects something in return for his benefit where he gives only to those who give him something in return. All the six humans hold their log tight in their hands and invite death its nothing but a human sin where the six people does not die from the cold outside from cold within.
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