Question

Six humans trapped by happenstance
In black and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs;
The first man held his back.
For on the faces around the fire,
He noticed one was black.

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

Explain the symbolism used by the poet.

Answer 1

The poet uses symbolism to show that it was the coldness of their hearts which extinguished the fire of life. Fire, which symbolized hope and acceptance, might have saved the ,  characters but they refused to shun their prejudices and let it die thus sealing their wn doom.