'Now I Have Nothing' Theme Explication
Theme Statement: Some people are content with being used by others, and ignore their own happiness.
Explanation/Proof for theme: ‘Now I Have Nothing’ is a poem by Stella Benson, exploring how in society, there are some people who are letting themselves be used. In the first two lines, the speaker talks about having nothing, and losing dreams he had. The first line mentions that the speaker does not even have the joy of loss. The second line tells how he was losing his dreams, using past tense to state that his dreams are currently fading away. Overall, the two lines state that the speaker was losing something he never had. He was losing his fantasies and desires. In the fourth line ‘My heart as a stone to bear your foot across’ is using a simile. A stone is something people step on, to get across rivers, puddles, and other wet areas. The third line states that the narrator is aware of being used, as the first part states ‘Only this thing I know;’. The two lines’ tone sound bitter, because the repetition of the ‘thi’ sound slows the audience when they read, while making it soft and quiet, and the pause caused by the semicolon adds to the bitter tone. The following uses a strong simile, referring his heart as a stone for stepping on, and intensifying the heaviness of the line by using the word ‘bear.’ The word bear means to hold onto a heavy burden and to put up with it. The word hints that the narrator puts up with some sort of trouble caused by someone or something, but the following word ‘your’ confirms it’s someone, not something. The two lines state that the narrator knows he is being used by someone, and carries the person’s troubles and burdens. In contrast, the last line changes the whole tone and meaning of the poem. ‘I am glad- I am glad- the stone is of your choosing....’ states that the narrator is actually content with being used. The last line gives the poem a feeling of acceptance. Similar to the phrase “Good enough.” even if the narrator is not
Explanation/Proof for theme: ‘Now I Have Nothing’ is a poem by Stella Benson, exploring how in society, there are some people who are letting themselves be used. In the first two lines, the speaker talks about having nothing, and losing dreams he had. The first line mentions that the speaker does not even have the joy of loss. The second line tells how he was losing his dreams, using past tense to state that his dreams are currently fading away. Overall, the two lines state that the speaker was losing something he never had. He was losing his fantasies and desires. In the fourth line ‘My heart as a stone to bear your foot across’ is using a simile. A stone is something people step on, to get across rivers, puddles, and other wet areas. The third line states that the narrator is aware of being used, as the first part states ‘Only this thing I know;’. The two lines’ tone sound bitter, because the repetition of the ‘thi’ sound slows the audience when they read, while making it soft and quiet, and the pause caused by the semicolon adds to the bitter tone. The following uses a strong simile, referring his heart as a stone for stepping on, and intensifying the heaviness of the line by using the word ‘bear.’ The word bear means to hold onto a heavy burden and to put up with it. The word hints that the narrator puts up with some sort of trouble caused by someone or something, but the following word ‘your’ confirms it’s someone, not something. The two lines state that the narrator knows he is being used by someone, and carries the person’s troubles and burdens. In contrast, the last line changes the whole tone and meaning of the poem. ‘I am glad- I am glad- the stone is of your choosing....’ states that the narrator is actually content with being used. The last line gives the poem a feeling of acceptance. Similar to the phrase “Good enough.” even if the narrator is not