Short summary of the poem ‘The Cold Within’ by James Patrick Kinney.

 

‘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.

‘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.”

The poem displayed a strong message against racial discrimination, because of which it was called "too controversial for the time" before it reached the heights of fame. 

The poem is a simple but powerful reminder that if we selfishly hold on world's resources, and the wealth offered by it and we persist in discriminating on grounds of race, religion, caste, gender and ethnicity, we are all lost.

The message James Patrick Kinney gives is that harbouring prejudices against each other will ultimately prove fatal. The poem teaches how in today's generation prejudices, malices, biases, discrimination and racism can destroy human beings and eventually the world. Therefore, the title was given to show that the group lacked the "warmth of humanity" in them and hence they died from "The Cold Within".

 

“The Cold Within” Themes

Prejudice, Resentment, Selfishness , Sin and Salvation

‘The Cold Within’ by James Patrick Kinney contains several important themes. The most important theme of the poem is selfishness.

Here, the poet depicts the different manifestations of selfishness in men. He also talks about the origin of this “human sin” from the angle of men belonging from the distinct social order.

Moreover, the poet presents themes such as rich vs poor, racism, sectarianism, and opportunism in the poem. Apart from that, the last stanza of the poem depicts the theme of spiritual death.

However, there are also the themes of indifference and mutual hatred in the poem. It seems that the poet was somehow upset about the lack of compassion and love in modern society.