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Freedom and Confinement. The speaker of “I Am Offering this Poem” not only offers his beloved a poem, he offers her freedom. The poem, in other words, represents freedom. And that’s because the poem protects the beloved, i…
What is a simile in the poem I am offering this poem?
By comparing his poem to a coat and a pair of socks, the speaker uses the poetic device of simile. That simile suggests that the poem is something that is protective: it’s warm and snuggly, like a written snuggie. That’s good news for us (well, for the addressed lover, anyway).
Why was I am offering this poem written?
History. Jimmy Santiago Baca began writing poetry during five years he spent in prison (1973-1978) for drug charges. During these years, he learned to read and began writing the poetry that would later bring light to not only his personal story of incarceration, but to the complex and murky world of the US penal system …
What does the word mature mean in I am offering this poem?
Lines 14-16
In describing life as a “wilderness,” we can again see the speaker using another metaphor. By saying that life becomes a wilderness “when mature,” the speaker also suggests that life gets harder as we grow older.
How does I Am Offering this Poem represent love?
In I Am Offering This Poem, by Jimmy Santiago Baca, the poet is giving the idea that love is providing you with all that you need, for example guidance and comfort. When in love, humans tend to feel safe and as if they belong, knowing there is someone that’s always there that cares for them.
How is love presented in the poem I Am Offering this Poem?
The speaker’s love is like a protective shield that a loved one can count on to make inevitable hard times more bearable. The speaker also compares love to “a pot full of yellow corn / to warm your belly.” Love doesn’t just offer comfort and protection, then, but actual sustenance.
What does yellow corn symbolize?
Corn is used symbolically to indicate spiritual goodness. With its many seeds, corn is also a symbol of fertility and rebirth.
What is the theme of the writer?
“The Writer” illustrates the challenge of achieving success in writing and in life. The starling’s battle for freedom gives it strength to finally fly free. The daughter also struggles before she can write her story. The father realizes she must find her own way to escape her problems like the starling.
What does the starling represent to the speaker?
The starling’s struggle adds intensity and emphasizes that independence needs to be found on one’s own. The sound of the typewriter reinforces the idea that self-expression is necessary to survival. The father’s decision not to help the starling reinforces the idea that survival is a matter of luck.
What are the metaphors in I Am Offering this Poem?
He says his poem is “a pot full of yellow corn/ to warm your belly in winter.” The speaker is using a metaphor, because he isn’t saying his poem is like a pot full of corn, he is saying it is a pot full of corn. We don’t know about you, but for us a warm pot full of corn sure hits the spot on a cold winter’s night.
Which fact about the author’s background I Am Offering this Poem?
The poem, “I Am Offering this Poem” inspires readers with a simple message of love without the luxury of material things. What fact about the author’s background may have most likely influenced this theme? He lived parts of his life in and orphanage.
What is the purpose of imagery in poetry?
How Is Imagery Used in Poetry? Imagery allows the reader to clearly see, touch, taste, smell, and hear what is happening—and in some cases even empathize with the poet or their subject.
Who is the speaker of I Am Offering this Poem?
One person who would agree with us is Jimmy Santiago Baca. His poem “I Am Offering this Poem” is about how, and why, poetry is so important. Published in 1990, this poem’s speaker offers his poem to his beloved like a gift.
Why is the speaker offering this poem to his loved one?
Why is the speaker offering this poem to his loved one? The speaker is hoping his poem serves as an apology for a past wrong. The speaker wants to get feedback on his writing. The speaker wants to express his anguish over the death of a relative.
What is the meaning of and all anyone needs to live in line 25?
Lines 24-25
But he says the poem—and his love by extension—is all that anyone “needs to live.” At this point, the poem and the speaker’s love are clearly interchangeable. The poem is love. So, in saying that the poem is all he has to “give,/ and all anyone needs to live,” he’s also referring to love.
When winter comes to cover you meaning?
“Keep it like a warm coat when winter comes to cover you, or like a pair of thick socks the cold cannot bite through,” This poem is about someone that is saying he doesn’t have anything to give them expect his poem and the poem.
What are some of the benefits that the speaker hopes the poem will have for the reader in I Am Offering this Poem?
Terms in this set (9)
I Am Offering This Poem- What are some of the benefits that the speaker hopes the poem will have for the reader? The speaker hopes that the poem will guide and shield them from the cold.
What is the tone of the poem the writer?
The tone is empathetic and generally hopeful. Throughout, the poet is reminded of his own experiences as a writer as he watches his daughter and considers her future. He’s hopeful that her journey will be smooth as she discovers her writing ability and contends with the writing process.
What does corn symbolize?
In general, corn symbolizes fertility, prosperity, and joy. What is this? Apart from that, it can also symbolize growth which is one of the most necessary aspects of life. For centuries, there have been a lot of myths and beliefs associated with corns, and people, especially farmers, believe them with full faith.
How does the repetition of the line I love you contribute to the overall meaning of the poem?
How does the repetition of the line “I love you” contribute to the overall meaning of the poem? It reminds the reader that love is the cheapest and easiest gift to give away, decreasing its value. It shows how offering this poem represents the speaker offering love, creating a sincere tone.
What is the attitude of the poem the writer?
In literature, attitude refers to the tone a writer takes on whatever they are writing. It can come through in a character’s intentions, histories, emotions, and actions. The design of the story, the language, and the mood/atmosphere all play into how the writer’s attitude is interpreted by the reader.
What does the poem the writer mean?
“The Writer” is an account of a father contemplating his daughter’s creative energy and the struggles of a writer. The speaker is overcome with different emotions as he listens to his daughter writing a story on a typewriter in her room. He has an epiphany that his daughter has come of age.
Is symbolism a theme?
It starts off with the words, “An idea, concept, or lesson….” If themes are ideas or concepts, then symbolism is a vessel for delivering those ideas and concepts. In other words, symbols should accurately reflect a story’s themes, and therefore must be chosen carefully.
What is the starling in the writer?
Stanzas 6 – 10 concentrate on a wild bird, a starling, used as a symbol for the writing career of the daughter. This is a memory so is in the past. Stanza 11, the last, is a personal summing up of what it takes to be a writer and how the process can feel like life or death.
Why does the speaker of the writer recall the incident of the trapped Starling?
Why does the speaker recall the incident of the trapped starling? The sound of the starling beating against the window, then falling, then trying again, reminds the speaker of his daughter’s typing, trying to set her imagination free.
How many stanzas are in IM offering this poem?
‘I Am Offering this Poem’ is a thirty-line poem that is loosely separated into four stanzas. These stanzas contain different numbers of lines, ranging from five to nine with each separated by the three-word phrase “I love you”.