Critical appreciation of the poem the cold within
Answers
Answer:
The poem The Cold Within by James Patrick Kinney is a satire on human nature of discrimination. The poet is sick of seeing how people are divided all over the world over petty barriers like class, caste, colour, ethnicity, religion, gender and other prejudice
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Answer:
‘The Cold Within’ by James Patrick Kinney is a beautiful poem that talks about the human passivity that holds one back from helping others. The cold is not outside but in the hearts that Kinney thought is the sole cause of all the human sufferings. Moreover, the ironic representation of the story along with the use of rhyming lines heightens the satirical effect in the poem. The story-like pattern of the poem no doubt appears like a parable that is meant for spreading the message of compassion and sacrifice for the sake of keeping the lamp of humanity bright.
Explanation:
‘The Cold Within’ by James Patrick Kinney presents the story of six men having six different personalities. Coincidentally, they were trapped in the bleak and bitterly cold weather. They all had one stick and refused to give any for burning the fire to keep them warm. The first man, a racist lad, refused to give his as there was a black man in the group. Whereas, the black man, vengeful and also a racist, thought to keep his stick “to spite the white”. The second man in the group, being a sectarian, didn’t give his as there was none from his community.
The third man, a poor in tattered clothes, naturally for the hatred towards the rich kept his stick back. In contrast, the rich man thought not to give his stick as he didn’t like the poor for their laziness and lack of ambition. And, the last man, an opportunist, only thought about capturing the sticks of others. In this way, they somehow resisted the external cold. But, in the end, “They died from the cold within