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Kelton Elias

2/14/2019
English 9, B
I am Offering this Poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca is a poem that describes the

overcoming of the sense of security when the rest of the world is a cold and dark place. The

poem is told in the first person, written to the reader letting them know that all there is to give is

love, and although at times might not seem enough, it is all that is needed to feel safe. The

central theme that Jimmy Santiago Baca develops is the sense of feeling warmth and safety

provided by a loved one. This is shown by the uses of rhyme scheme, metaphor and similes,

imagery.

The use of rhyme scheme in this poem is very minimal and is not present till the last

stanza. The lack of rhyming in the first three stanzas of the poem represents the insecurity of the

person the poem is being read to. Lack of security links to the poetic devise because a non-

rhyming poem has less of a strictly confined structure and helps the reader understand the

situation of the narrator. In the last stanza of the poem, the author decides to add a rhyme scheme

of AA BB, “It’s all I have to give, and all anyone needs to live… (24)” which signifies the

feeling of safety which is brought to the narrator, showing that the use of loving someone was

affective. The switch between a free-verse poem to a confined, rhyming poem is an example of a

change in tone, adding significance, and showing change in the narrator.

Metaphors and similes are also used in this poem, and help the reader understand exactly

the point the author is getting across. One simile-metaphor cross that the author uses is

describing the feeling of love, “Keep it like a warm coat when winter comes to cover you. (3)” In

this example, the warm coat is representing the love’s protective coating when living gets

difficult. The winter coming is a metaphor used to describe all the negative times and hardships

that get in the way of being happy. Metaphors in this poem are also used to describe the ways

love should be handled. In order to describe keeping love safe, the poet uses metaphors like “and
Kelton Elias
2/14/2019
English 9, B
in the corner of your drawer, tucked away like a cabin or hogan. (17)” Imagery also play a big

role in helping this poem be more understanding. Using similes and metaphors help the reader

see the point being made in their head, enhancing their ability to better understand the text with a

more artistic touch to it.

After the uses of rhyme scheme, metaphors, and imagery, the poem written by Jimmy

Santiago Baca represents the theme of feeling loved and safe. Using these poetic devises not only

helps the poem become more understanding, but it also enhances the way it sounds being read,

from repetition of certain words to free-verse and rhyming. In the end, the outcome of these

processes leaves the reader with a nicely written poem with a deeper meaning hidden within its

depths.

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