Question

The black man's face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.

The last man of this forlorn group
Did nought except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.

Their logs held tight in death's still hands
Was proof of human sin.
They didn't die from the cold without
They died from the cold within.

Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.

What do you mean by the ‘cold within’? How’it is responsible for their deaths?

Answer 1

‘The cold within’ means the lack of warmth within,bom out of selfishness, greed, arrogance, etc. It is because of these negative feelings, ‘the cold within’, that they do not give up their sticks of wood which could have kept the fire burning and kept them alive.