To A Stranger (Part 4)

“To A Stranger” is a different kind of poem. Through the research we have done in our class, this poem is definitely about a past relationship with someone. We cannot say if it is a girl or a guy because he was known to be bisexual, therefore we cannot assume which gender it was.

I personally think he liked someone and then was restricted from speaking to them because in the poem the poet says “I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone.” The poet says I am not to speak to you, which kind of sounds like he is restricted to talk to this person. Many times even if we are not friends with someone we still talk to them, and occasionally if you see them you will interact a little. I can say this because in my own experiences I have drifted away from people, but even today when I see them I still say hello, or start a conversation. Another clue that leads to why the poet may be restricted to talking to them is because he talks about being alone. He thinks about this person when he is alone, which is sort of weird because you don’t necessarily have to be alone to think of someone. I feel that the poet wants to keep it a secret that he is thinking of this person, which is why he thinks of them alone.

A part that explains his bisexuality is when the poet says “You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking/ you grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me.” He does not state one gender, he says both; this describes that he is into both genders.

I personally think this entire poem is about a person who had a strong relationship with someone and then was restricted from talking to him or her for some reason. One reason you can know that they do not talk anymore is because he states the opposing person as a stranger; a stranger is defined to be someone who you do not know.

Although they are not speaking to this person they still want to keep them close to their heart, we know this because the poet states “I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again, I am to see to it that I do not lose you.” This indicates that they do not talk to the person, but they do not want to lose the relationship with this person. The poet hopes to meet this person again and cherish the memories they had.

Lastly in the poem you can tell that this person was quite special to the poet because he says “I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you.” He talks about living a life of joy with them, indicating that they were very happy with each other and enjoyed each others company. It seems in the entire poem the poet is showing that he is missing this person and cherishes the old times they had. The poet is trying to say that he awaits another meeting with them and hopes to keep the relation they had before safe and together; he does not want the relationship to end even though they are split apart.

Overall this was an interesting poem to read and you can truly make a lot of connections with it. In conclusion I think this poem is about a person they use to be very close with, but are now split apart from them; even though they are split apart, the person still is a huge part of the poets life and still means a lot to them.