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, it helps her find her way, and it acts as nourishment. Even though the word "freedom" isn't actually mentioned in the poem, there's lots of imagery and language in there that indicates that this is in fact one of the poem's big themes. Don't believe us? Well, be our guest and read on…
Questions About Freedom and Confinement
- What kind of freedom is the speaker offering to his beloved in this poem?
- What does the poem suggest about the way that poetry and literature can "free" us?
- In what ways does the poem suggests that life can confine or imprison us?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The poem shows us that, if no one loves us, we can't be free (bummer).
The speaker feels that poetry provides us with a higher kind of freedom than material freedom.