The Cold Within Summary by James Patrick Kinney

The Cold Within Summary by James Patrick Kinney

By chance, six persons were entrapped together in bitter cold. Thus they were in a situation from which there was no escape. They were sitting near the fire which was fast dying. The dying fire was the only source that could save their lives. Each of them had a stick of wood. If anyone of them gave up the stick, it would keep the fire burning and all of them would survive. But it was strange and sad to know that each one had a reason not to give up his stick. In this way the story is narrated.

The six persons were sitting around the fire which was dying and which needed to be fed with logs of wood. The first man seemed to be determined not to give up his stick of wood to keep the fire burning as he had noticed the face of the black man in the light of the dying fire. By supplying the fuel in the dying fire, he did not want to save the life of the black man. Thus he acted out of his racial prejudice.

The second man held back his stick as he had noticed that one of them did not belong to his religion. He could not convince himself to give up his stick of wood to help a person of another religion. Indeed, that man was suffering from the feeling of intolerance.

The third man seemed to belong to the poor category as his tattered clothes were justifying it. He was full of bitterness and envy for the rich. He gave his coat a hitch. This clearly indicated his tightness. He thought it would be unjust to give what little he had to help other who had more than he. So he gave up the idea of adding the fuel in the dying fire with his own stick.

The fourth one was a rich man. He showed great concern for his wealth which he had at that time in his possession. He seemed to be greatly worried about the safety of his money. He wanted to keep his money safe from the eyes of the lazy poor. Hence he thought not to give away the stick which he held in his hand. Thus, he showed his greed and intense love for money instead of showing humanity.

The fifth one was a black man. He seemed to be full of bitterness and hatred for the white people. He showed his revengeful attitude for the white man. As the fire was dying out, he thought he had the chance to hurt the white people by keeping his stick of wood with him. Due to suffering from the vice of spite he showed no interest to save the life of the white.

The sixth man was very selfish. He greatly lacked in generosity. As no one else had given his stick, he also kept his stick with him. In fact, he did nothing except for gain. He was of the opinion that he would give only to those who , would give him something back in return.

In this way, no one came forward to add the fuel to the dying fire. Due to suffering from the feelings of discrimination, racism and bigotry, they held the wooden sticks tight in their hands and invited death to them. All of them perished not because of coldness from the outdoors but because of the coldness in their hearts.

The Cold Within Poem Summary Introduction

The poem entitled The Cold Within was written in the 1960’s. During the African American Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968), Kinney was outraged by inhuman discriminatory attitudes at the time and wrote this poem to prompt some serious soul searching. He observes how we are often wise enough to rise above our egoes and how foolish we are when we give into our prejudices. The poet uses his poetic parable, ‘The Cold Within’ to illustrate the folly of falling prey to discrimination that short-changes our own humanity.

The poem is a pointed comment on lack of warmth and compassion in human relations. None of the six people, who by chance were trapped together in bitter cold, agreed to put in use their stick of wood and due to their feelings of selfishness, hatred and prejudices, all the six persons become victim of death.

The poem through the discriminatory acts of six humans, tries to depict attitudes of the human being in general.

The message of the poem is relevant even today, when we face divisive outlooks in the world that lead to hatred and violence. The poem is a reminder to overcome our personal demons and be open to the wisdom of an egalitarian view-an attitude where everyone is considered equal in worth.

The Cold Within Summary Stanzawise Word-Meanings, Paraphrase and Explanation

1. Six humans……………………. story’s told.
Word-meanings : Six humans = here the poet uses the word ‘humans’ instead of people because the six humans (persons) can be seen as representatives of the whole human race. Trapped = caught in a very serious and difficult situation against one’s wish. Happenstance = something that takes place accidently. Bleak = bare and exposed to the wind. Bitter = biting. Possessed = had. So told = refers to the fact that it is a story which is being told to the people; a mythical which is passed on.

Paraphrase : Six persons were accidentally trapped in an extremely cold wave. They had no escape from this serious situation. They found the dying fire and sat near it to keep themselves warm. The dying fire became the only source of their survival. Each one of them held a stick of wood. As the fire was fast dying, no one came forward to add the fuel to the dying fire. They did so because they had their own reasons not to give up their sticks to the dying fire. This is how it is told in the story. Later, we come to know that the stick in each hand was the symbol of sin.

Reference to the Context: These lines describing a tale of the six persons trapped in a bleak and bitter cold, have been extracted from the poem entitled The Cold Within, written by James Patrick Kinney.

Here the poet tells us about the six persons who by chance were trapped together in bitter cold. Through the discriminatory acts of six persons, the poet tries to depict attitudes of the human beings in general.

Explanation: Just by chance six persons got trapped in bitter cold. It was of course a cold wave which was unbearable for the six persons. They found themselves in a very grave situation from which it was difficult to come out. But, luckily they found there dying fire. Finding no way to escape from this grave situation, they sat near the dying fire which was at that time only source of their servival. Each of them had a stick of wood, but sadly and strangely, each had a reason to hold his stick back. No one came forward to add the fuel to the dying fire with his own stick. It is a story which has immense significance and threfore is told on to future generations, as the poet decides to tell the readers.

Critical Comments :

1. The poet uses ‘human’ and ‘not people’ so as to refer to all human beings.
2. Though the six persons were together in a situation which seems to have been arranged even though it was accidental. That is why the poet has used the word ‘happenstance’, an event that is arranged.
3. The adjectives ‘dark’ and ‘bitter’ describing the cold add to the ominous feeling.

2. Their dying……………………. was black.
Word-meanings : In need of logs = the fire was in need of more wood to keep on burning. Logs = the pieces of wood. Held his back = did not add the fuel to the dying fire with his own stick. For fire = when the first person looked at the group of people in the glow of fire. Noticed = saw. Black = belonging to a race of people who have dark skin.

Paraphrase: As the fire was dying very fast, it greatly needed to be supplied with logs of wood. When the first person who suffered from racial prejudice, saw a black in the group in the glow of fire, he gave up idea to add fuel to the dying fire with his own stick. He did not want to save the life of black. Hence he kept his stick to himself.

Reference to the Context: These lines speaking of the first man who was the victim of racial prejudice, have been extracted from the poem entitled The Cold Within, written by James Patrick Kinney.
Here the poet tells us about the first man who was utterly guided by the feeling of racial prejudice. He was full of hatred for the black. This made him callous and he had forgotten his prime duty as a human being. He was wholly devoid of emotions and compassion.

Explanation: As the fire was dying, it greatly needed to be fed with logs of wood. It could be kept alive only if one of them would have come forward to * supply the fuel in it with his own stick. The first man who greatly suffered from the feeling of racial prejudice did not want to sacrifice his stick because he thought that by doing so, the life of the black would be saved. The racial prejudice made him so stem that mercy could not touch his heart. Hence he showed no intention for the welfare of humanity and held back his stick.

Critical Comments :

1. If each person had used his respective log to feed the dying fire, it would have offered a chance for salvation.
2. The dying fire is a silent appeal to the group to help themselves by helping each other.
3. For the fire : The use of alliteration.

3. The next man……………………. stick of birch.
Word-meanings : Looking way = looked around to observe something in a serious way. Saw church = found that one of them did not belong to his religion. Not bring = could not persuade himself. To give stick = to add the fuel to the dying fire with his own stick. Birch = a type of tree that has outer bark which can be pulled off easily.

Paraphrase : The second person suffered from the feeling of intolerance. He looked around the people sitting around the fire. It seemed as if he tried to observe something very curiously. He found that one of them did not belong to his own religion. Hence he could not convince himself to feed the fuel to the fast dying fire with his own stick. His feeling of intolerance stopped him to do so. He cared only for people belonging to his own sect of Christianity.

Reference of to Context: These lines describing about the attitude of the second person who suffered from religious intolerance, have been extracted from the poem entitled The Cold Within written by James Patrick Kinney.

The second person looked across the fire and saw someone who he knew did not share his religious ideology. And just because of that, he could not bear to give up his log to the communal fire.

Explanation : The second person had his own reason not to supply the fuel to the dying fire with his own stick. As he suffered from the feeling of religious intolerance, he gave importance only to those who belonged his own religion and followed his religious principles. He made social contribution on the basis of religious feelings. The feeling of love, peace, brotherhood and neighbourhood were nothing to him if he found religious difference. When he looked around the group sitting near the fire, he found that one man did not belong to the same church (i.e. religious community) as his. Hence he could not persuade himself to give up his stick of wood to help a person of another religion.

Critical Comments :

1. This indicates bigotry which speaks of intolerance to a person because he does not share the same opinions or ideas.
2. Religious intolerance creates hatred and violence among the people.
3. Religious intolerance is the greatest obstacle in the way of progressive thoughts of the people.

4. The third……………………. idle rich ?
Word-meanings : Tattered = torn, old and in generally poor condition. Gave hitch = he just shook his coat. Be put to use = be applied as a fuel to the dying fire or to make the fire alive. Idle rich = it is believed that the rich people pass a life of laziness enjoying the fruit of hard labour of the poor labourers whereas the labourers have to suffer from poverty and starvation.

Paraphrase : The third one was a poor man. As he wore tattered clothes, it seemed as if he was suffering from utter poverty. Perhaps in his tattered clothes, he felt extremely cold. Trying to wrap himself from severe cold, he gave a strong shake to his coat with his hands. His shaking the coat strongly showed his tightness. He was full of bitterness and envy for the rich man who was sitting near the fire. He did not want to add the fuel to the dying fire with his stick to prevent the rich man sitting there from getting warm. He, being poor, thought that it is the rich people who are lazy and who make the poor suffer for no reason and live at the cost of the poor.

Reference to the Context : These lines showing the class gap between the rich and the poor, have been extracted from the poem entitled The Cold Within, written by James Patrick Kinney.

Here the poet describes the poor man who seemed to be the victim of classicism. He was full of hatred and bitterness towards the rich whom he considered the main cause of his exploitation or poverty.

Explanation: The third man who seemed to be very poor and wore tattered clothes was not least interested in supplying the fuel to the dying fire with his own stick of wood because he had seen a rich man in the group of six persons and he was overwhelmed with the feeling of hatred at the sight of the rich man. By giving a hitch to his tattered coat, he showed his tightness against the rich man. He thought that the person who exploited his community in every way, should not be helped in any way. He thought it would be unjust to give what little he had to help others who had more than he. Hence he did not want to sacrifice his stick to keep the rich man warm whom he considered an idle fellow enjoying the fruit of hard labour done by the poor labourers.

Critical Comments :

1. The idle rich : It is believed that the rich people make the workers toil and enjoy the fruits of their labour. So they remain idle.
2. The poor are victim of discrimination based on social and economic class.
3. The poor think that the rich deprive them of their fair share.

5. The rich man …………………. shiftless poor. Word-meanings : The rich back = the rich man continued to sit back for fear of the safety of his money from the poor. He store = he had in his possession. Shiftless = idle, work-shy.

Paraphrase : The fourth one was a rich man. He thought of his money he had in his possession. He also thought how he could keep it away from the poor man. He considered the poor man a lazy and work-shy fellow who was always on the look out to have the rich man’s share. He thought that he had earned the money through his sheer hard work whereas the poor man was lazy and therefore was living in poverty. Then he decided not to use his stick for the welfare of the poor man.

Reference to the Context : These lines showing the rich man’sunsympathetic attitude towards the poor and his heavy greed of money, have been extracted from the poem entitled The Cold Within, written by James Patrick Kinney.

The rich man, instead of being kind, sympathetic and generous towards the poor man, showed an indifferent attitude. He thought the poor man a dishonest and work-shy fellow who had his eyes on his (the rich man’s) wealth.

Explanation : The fourth man who was the rich man, was also sitting near the fire with other men of the group, but due to being a wealthy person, he maintained a distance from them especially from the poor. Because of being oblivious to reality, he was engrossed in the thought of hoarding his riches. He seemed to be worried about his wealth which he had at that time in store. He wanted to secure his wealth from the poor whom he considered a dishonest and idle fellow. Hence he kept the wooden stick to himself instead of adding it to the dying fire.

Critical Comments :

1. The excessiveness of wealth and great fondness of materialistic things deprive man of the feelings of love, compassion and sympathy.
2. By making a great heap of luxuries and wealth, man is puffed up with the feeling of proud and he does not give any importance to the poor.
3. Ignoring the truth that the poor are victim of exploitation at the hand of the rich, they (the poor) are considered the lazy fellow.

6. The black man’s……………………. the white.
Word-meanings : Bespoke = showed a particular quality, behaviour and feeling. Revenge = to do something to punish someone who has hurt you, made you suffer, etc. Spite = to do something cruel to hurt or upset someone.

Paraphrase : The fifth one was the black man. He was full of hatred for the community of the white people. As he had seen the white sitting near the fire, the expression of hatred and anger for the white man could be seen at his face in the glow of the dying fire. It could be judged to see his face that he was determined to revenge against him. He thought it to be a better opportunity to hurt the white people by keeping his stick with him instead of applying it to the dying fire.

Reference to the Context: These lines showing black man’s experience of racism, have been extracted from the poem The Cold Within, written by James Patrick Kinney.

The black man had experienced racism. Revenge for the atrocities he had faced from the white people was the only thing in his mind. He realised that the fire was fast getting spent. But the spark of human kindness had died in him and literally too, he chose to let the group’s fire die. He thought that he would perish, but he would take the others he hated down with him as well.

Explanation : The fifth one who was a black man, was full of hatred for the white people. He had experienced exploitation, humiliation and torture at the hand of the white people. When he noticed the white in the group of people, the signs of revenge were clearly visible at his face. As the fire was dying out, he thought he had now golden opportunity to hurt the white people by keeping his stick with him instead of fueling to the dying fire.

Critical Comments :

1. The black and white are guided by animosity against each other. When the white man practises racism, the black man’s face is filled with revenge.
2. For centuries the black people have suffered due to the white men.
3. During slavery in America, the black people were made to work as servants of the white without any remunerations and privileges.

7. The last man……………………. the game.
Word-meanings : Forlorn = unhappy and lonely or abondoned. Nought = nothing. Did gain = he did every work for his personal interest and gain. He did not pick the work which gave him no personal gain or profit. Giving gave = he thought he would only give to those who gave him first.

Paraphrase : The sixth one was an embodiment of selfishness. He was completely deprived of emotions and generosity. He did not show any interest in others’ sorrow and trouble. He always thought only about his own welfare. He liked to help only to those who helped him first. In other words, he liked to give only to those who gave him first. He applied the same attitude here. When he found that no one in the group was prepared to give up his stick, he also retreated to do so. He thought that it would be unprofitable to use his stick to light up the dying fire to warm the other five people.

Reference to the Context: These lines showing the spirit of selfishness of the sixth man in the group, have been extracted from the poem entitled The Cold Within, written by James Patrick Kinney.
The sixth man was the victim of the feeling of selfishness. He seemed to be taking no interest to make the welfare of others without his personal gain. He was inclined to do something only for those who offered him first.

Explanation : The sixth man of this lonely group was a very selfish man. He did nothing except something for his benefit. He gave only to those who gave him something back in return. As he had already observed that no one in the group was interested to give his stick to add the fuel to the dying fire, he also decided to keep his stick to himself.

Critical Comments :

1. The poet foreshadows the fate of the group by finally describing the bunch as ‘forlorn’ or hopeless.
2. Unfortunately, we find that the last person also perpetuates the vicious circle of inertia.
3. In giving just to get, the last person played a losing move in the ‘game’ a metaphor for the game of life.

8. Their logs……………………. within.
Word-meanings : Still = rigid, not moving. Human sin = disobedience to God’s commandment-‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’ Cold without = died not from freezing cold outside. The cold within = died due to the coldness of their heart.

Paraphrase : In this way, all the six persons met with a tragic end in the form of death. They became the victim of death due to their feelings of discrimination, prejudice, hatred, revenge, etc. None of them sacrificed their stick for the welfare of the others. The fire had extinguished and their corpses were lying there motionless, but still they held their stick tight in their own hands. The poet points out that they perished into dust not because of the coldness from the outdoors but because of the coldness in their hearts. The sticks in their hands suggested that no one had renounced sinning being unkind for one reason or the other.

Reference to the Context : These lines depicting a tragic end and an ultimate disaster of the six persons due to their feelings of prejudices based on colour, caste, religion, etc. have been extracted from the poem entiled The Cold Within, written by James Patrick Kinney.

Allowing their selfishness, prejudice, malice and suspicious to dictate their actions, six persons refused to share the log to add the fuel to the dying fire. Eventually, the fire died out and all the six persons were embraced by death.

Explanation : None of the six persons gave up the stick to supply fuel to the dying fire. All of them held the sticks in their hands tightly. As the fire extinguished, all the men died of freezing cold. It was nothing, but a proof of human sin. They died not because of the biting cold outside but because of the cold within. They themselves invited death by nourishing the feelings of racism, envy, arrogance, revenge, selfishness and greed in them. They could get rid of these feelings of sin and purify their souls by putting their sticks in the dying fire and thus helping one another.

Critical Comments :

1. Death has been personified here with stilled hands. Each individual became their own agent of death-their hands frozen stiff with their refusal to act.
2. Each of them still possessed their firewood when they died. It suggests the twisted motives in retaining their firewood, proof enough of sin.
3. Final lines abound with irony. We realise it was not the cold weather outside that really killed the group after all, it was the cold in their hearts, the lack of warm human spirits-the cold within.

The Cold Within Summary About the Poet

James Patrick Kinney was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 16,1923. He was bom in a very poor Irish family and had a very tough childhood. He was constantly malnourished, along with his brothers and sisters. Though the other children were forbidden to play around the railroad tracks, James and his brother were sent to the railroad tracks to steal coal for heat. He lived a pretty tough life.

James only went to the 10th grade of high school, when he dropped out to take care of his mother. Because of that, he spent his whole life in self educating and in the process, he feel in love with poetry. He read a grat number of poets and began to write poetry himself. By the timehe wrote ‘The Cold Within’, he had written a number of other poems, but nothing was ever done with them. He occasionally would submit ‘The Cold Within’ to various publications and they would always turn it down. It was too controversial. However, it was once published in the January 2000 issue of a Catholic publication called Liguorian.

Kinney had also written many other poems but never published them. It is his son Timothy Kinney, who is the copyright owner of his poems. His poems are : A Better World, A Glimpse of Pioneer, My New Found Friend, To My Children, Who Am I ? and The Secret of My Life.
On May 29,1974, James left this world end he left it better than he found it.

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