Who am I?
Who am I really,
When all the layer of other's opinion, expectations and definitions
Are peel away?
Who am I beneath all the layers
Society, friends and family
Have wrapped me tightly into
Like a straight jacket almost impossible to escape?
Who am I?
When all the strangers in my head
Are shut out and silenced long enough
For me to hear my own thoughts?
Who am I?
When I look at myself in the mirror
And see me with clear eyes
Without the filters of others?
That’s what I’m trying to find out
That’s what I’m trying to see
It’s a journey
Without a clear finish line.
Analysis and Review of the poem by Okoro Amarachi Anastasia.
A heartfelt poem written by Jass that serve as a mirror that question ones identity, bringing out ones true self. Its a narrative poem that written in five stanza with no rhyming but it has rhythm. The tone of poet/speaker is filled question and curiosity with bring about tensed emotions. The language is simple and straightforward, making it easy to understand. There is use of poetic devices such as repetition (repetition of the phrase “who am I?), metaphor, rhetorical questions.
The first stanza of the poem started with a question who am i?. A question born out the quest to discover one’s true self amidst the mud of conception. It is true that sometimes we perceive ourselves from the lens of other and live by their expectations. Stanza two continue with same streams of thoughts, trying to understand his nature beneath the shadows/ influence of society, family and friends, admitting the fact that it is impossible to escape the grips/influence of others thoughts of him. It is true, no matter how we practice self authenticity, we always find ourselves in web of others peoples’ conception of us. This is a hard truth we live in.
Stanza three continued with the same question, showing forth the battle that we face with in ourselves. The thoughts that we fights with to find our voice in our head. The knowledge and the opinion of others becloud our own sense of judgement. Stanza four talked about the the unveiling of one’s true form (the outside appearance) without the filters of others.
In conclusion, I love how the poet ended the poem, telling the readers the purpose of his self discovery. It’s journey, with no clear finish line. The sad tone apply at the end of the poem makes it emotional. Though that is our reality, we find ourselves in a unending search for our true identity.
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