The excerpt suggests that a poem can offer guidance. The comparison of life to a wilderness highlights the idea that life can be confusing and directionless, and the poem serves as a form of guidance in navigating through it.
Read the excerpt from "I Am Offering This Poem.”
Keep it, treasure this as you would
if you were lost, needing direction,
in the wilderness life becomes when mature;
The speaker compares life with wilderness to suggest that there is no map for life. This reinforces the theme that a poem is a valuable gift, by showing that a poem can offer
shelter.
friendship.
warmth.
guidance.
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