I Am!

I Am!

by Unknown Author

I am and what I am none cares or knows;
My friends forsake me like a memory lost:
I am the self-consumer of my woes,
They rise and vanish in an oblivious host,
Like shadows in love’s frenzied stifled throes
And yet I am, and live and like vapours tossed

Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,
Into the living sea of waking dreams,
Where there is neither sense of life nor joys,
But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteem;
Even the dearest ones I loved best
Are strange rather, stranger than the rest.

I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below above the vaulted sky.

Summary of I Am!

• The Poem’s Core: “I Am!” is a deeply personal and poignant exploration of loneliness, abandonment, and the weight of internal suffering. It delves into the speaker’s feeling of isolation even amidst existence.
• Central Idea: The poem’s central idea revolves around the disconnect between the self and the world, the pain of lost connection, and a longing for peace—even if that peace means a retreat from life itself. The speaker feels unseen, unknown, and consumed by his own sorrows.
• Understanding the Context: The poem reflects the universal human experience of longing for connection and the devastating effects of its absence.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “I Am”

John Clare masterfully employs a range of literary devices to convey the complex emotions within “I Am!”. These devices not only enhance the poem’s aesthetic appeal but also deepen its meaning and impact. Let us explore some key examples.

1. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds creates a musicality and emphasizes certain words or feelings. Consider the line “Where there is neither sense of life nor joys.” The repeated “e” sound subtly underscores the absence of joy and the overall sense of emptiness.
2. Anaphora: The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. The repeated “I am” at the very beginning of the poem is a powerful statement of existence, yet it highlights the speaker’s feeling of being utterly alone in that existence. It is as if he is asserting his being to a world that doesn’t acknowledge it.
3. Alliteration: The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. “My friends forsake me” employs alliteration with the “f” sound, creating a sense of hurriedness and loss, mirroring the speed with which the speaker feels abandoned.
4. Consonance: Similar to alliteration, but involving the repetition of consonant sounds within words, rather than at the beginning. The line “I am the self-consumer of my woes” uses the repeated “s” sound to create a melancholic tone. The repeating sound echoes the unending cycle of sorrow.
5. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause. This technique is prominent throughout the poem, particularly in the final stanza: “There to abide with my Creator, God, and sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept.” The enjambment creates a flowing rhythm, mirroring the speaker’s longing for a peaceful, dreamlike state.
6. Imagery: The poem uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of the speaker’s internal world. “Into the living sea of waking dreams” is a powerful example. This image suggests a chaotic, overwhelming state of mind, where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur.
7. Metaphor: A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. The “living sea of waking dreams” is a metaphor, comparing the speaker’s turbulent mental state to the vast, unpredictable ocean.
8. Simile: A figure of speech that compares two things using “like” or “as.” “My friends forsake me like a memory lost” is a poignant simile, equating the fading of friendships to the gradual erasure of a cherished memory. The comparison highlights the speaker’s feeling of being forgotten and disconnected.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “I Am”

Beyond literary devices, “I Am!” also showcases several poetic devices that contribute to its rhythm, sound, and overall impact.

1. End Rhyme: The poem features end rhyme, such as the slant rhyme between “lost” and “tossed” in the first stanza. This creates musicality and helps to establish a sense of structure.
2. Rhyme Scheme: The poem does not adhere to a strict rhyme scheme but uses varied end rhymes throughout. This variety reflects the complexity of the speaker’s emotions.
3. Sestet: Each stanza in “I Am!” is a sestet—a six‑line stanza. This form contributes to the poem’s concise and focused expression of emotion.
4. Stanza: The poem is divided into three distinct stanzas, each exploring a different facet of the speaker’s experience—his isolation, his despair, and his longing for peace.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines from “I Am!” are particularly resonant and can be used to explore themes of mortality, peace, and the desire for escape.

“I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below above the vaulted sky.”

These lines reveal the speaker’s deep yearning for a state of tranquility and detachment—a return to the innocent peace of childhood or, ultimately, a release from the burdens of life through death. They offer a powerful commentary on the human desire for lasting peace and the solace of a world beyond sorrow.