"The Cold Within" by James Patrick Kinney

The "Kelsunn-on-the-Air" Social Work Podcast

Kelsunn Communications invites you to listen and watch an Oral Interpretation of the poem ‘The Cold Within’ by James Patrick Kinney, which contains several important themes.

The most important theme of the poem is selfishness. Here, the poet depicts the different manifestations of selfishness in people. He also talks about the origin of this “human sin” from the angle of people 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.

Each person has some wood that would keep the fire going, but they all find a reason not to share it: racism, class prejudice, or straight-up selfishness. All the people freeze to death, but it's the metaphorical "cold within"—their unwillingness to be kind to each other—that really kills them.