The Cold Within
Six humans trapped by happenstance
and dark and bitter cold;
each possessed a stick of wood,
or so the story’s told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
the first man held hers back,
for of the faces round the fire,
he noticed one was black.
The next man looking 'cross the way,
saw one not in his church,
and couldn’t bring himself to give
the fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes,
she gave her coat a hitch.
Why should her log be put to use
to warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
of the wealth he had in store,
and how to keep what he had earned
from the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black woman’s face bespoke revenge
as the fire passed from her sight.
All she saw in her stick of wood
was a chance to spite the white.
The last person of this furlong group
did naught accept nor gain.
Giving only to those who gave
was how he played the game.
1. The poem is telling about 6 different people who have a fire that is going out. Each holds a branch to help keep the fire alight, but each is too selfish to put their branch in the flames to help another out.
The reasons as I believe:
(person) 1. Racist (there is a dark skinned person at the fire)
2. None were part of his church, exclusion
3. Poor person, bitter and jealous of the rich.Doesn't want to help the rich.
4. Rich man, doesn't want to share
5. Dark skinned woman, hates the whites (racist) wants revenge against them.
6. Only gives only to those that give out first.
'PROOF OF HUMAN SIN' sin could be mentioned.
2. Figurative language are 'Similies, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration.... etc etc.... here I'll find a site....
I'm sure you can find some of those :)
3. Tone is the mood of the poem, look at examples of the imagery to help. Like 'Their logs held tight in death’s still hand' is a example of imagery. It gives us the picture of them clinging tightly to their log. It is also a metaphor in a way, I think.
4. Since I'm hopeless, I believe that at first its a little hopeful that one of the strangers may put a stick in to help, but as it progresses it becomes evident that each is too selfish to do so.
5. 'Cold Within' is the representation of how these 6 people are. They do not care about one another but only themselves. They are cold hearted and selfish 'They didn’t die from the cold without,
they died from the cold within.'
6. Really kind of did this question in number 1, but I'm sure you will be able to separate the 2. Number 1 could be more like 'Human selfishness' as a answer.
7. Not really sure, but perhaps the different types of people? Maybe something about how the blacks hate the whites because of what the whites did to them. How the poor hate the rich, because they are jealous of the rich and because the rich don't care about them. The rich think the poor are just too lazy to help themselves, that is why they are poor.
8. 8 is jumbled up there somewhere in 7 :D
Their logs held tight in death’s still hand
was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without,
they died from the cold within.

1. Paraphrase the poem above. What is the literal meaning or plot? What's going on in the poem?
2. What are the poetic devices (figurative language) in the poem? How do they contribute to the meaning/how do they effect the poem?
3. What is the tone of the poem? Examine diction, imagery, and details.
4. What is the shift in the poem? Trace changes in the feelings of the speaker from beginning to the end.
5. Interpret the title.
6. Summarize the plot in a paragraph.
7. List subject(s) of the poem. (move from literal to abstract)
8. What is the poet saying about each subject?