SAD I AMS by Trevor Millum FORM 1

Sad I Ams MEANING

STANZA 1
I am The persona is the ring from an empty drink
the ring
from an empty Cola can can, leftovers from an uncleaned porridge pan
the scrapings and the broken arm of last years action toy.
from an unwashed porridge pan
the severed arm
from last year's Action Man.
I am STANZA 2
the envelope The persona goes on to say that he or she is like
on which the gum is gone
the Sellotape an assortment of unwanted stationery items
where you can't find the end such as an envelope that cannot be sealed as the
the toothless stapler, springless bulldog clip gum is gone, the roll of Sellotape which cannot
the dried-up liquid paper be peeled off, an empty stapler without staples
that mars instead of mends and a clip that has no spring, liquid paper that
the stamped addressed reply
that you forgot
is dry and a letter that has not been sent.
to send.
I am STANZA 3
the battery in which no charge is left In this stanza, the persona likens himself or
the starter motor which remains inert
the tyre on which the tread is worn herself to various parts of a car. The persona is
the sparking plug which shows no sign of spark a battery that cannot charge, a starter motor that
the carburettor choked by bits of dirt does not work, a bald tyre, a sparking plug with
the chromium trim from which the shine has no life, a dirty carburetor and not a too shiny
gone. chromium trim.
I am STANZA 4
a garden In the final stanza, the persona equates himself/
overgrown with weeds
herself to an overgrown garden, a book from
a library book
that no one ever reads the library that no one picks out, a hungry stray
a stray and an unheeded piece of good advice.
which no one thinks to feed
the piece of good advice which no one seems to
need.

Trevor Millum

Summary Of The Poem

The persona in the poem conveys his feeling of sadness and of being neglected. To express these
feelings, he compares himself with several things found in the home. Some of the things are a
metal ring from a drink can and food scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan which are usually
discarded.
Broken parts of discarded last years Action Man are usually thrown out too. Only envelopes with
gums are useful. Sticky tapes, a stapleless stapler, a broken bulldog clip, and liquid paper are
popular items in our stationery aids. However, they are only useful if they are serviceable.
The same goes with parts of a car. The battery must be well-charged and the starter motor workable
for the car to work well. A lifeless spark plug , a chocked carburettor and a dull chromium trim all
add up to an unattractive car. The persona feels like an unkempt garden, an untouched library book,
and an unfed stray on the street or an unneeded piece of good advice.

Setting
Set in a common household.
The persona feels like some of the things we see around the house are disposable or not maintained.

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SAD I AMS by Trevor Millum FORM 1
*disposable - made to be thrown away

Point of View
The poem is in the 'first person' point of view.
The persona talks about himself as feeling sad when he compares himself to these things found in most households.

Tone and mood

The tone of this poem is gloomy and depressing.
Mood : It is disappointing to feel neglected and unloved, especially within a family.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things without using the word like or as to
make the comparison.
The entire poem consists of metaphors where the persona likens himself/herself to many unwanted
things such as the ring from the empty can and a toothless stapler .

2. Imagery
The poem describes the unwanted items vividly that one is able to imagine them.
Eg : the scrapings from an unwanted porridge pan , the severed arm of last years Action Man

3. Repetition
Repetition of a sound, syllable, word, phrase, line or stanza is a basic unifying device in all poetry.
The word I am is repeated at the beginning of every stanza to emphasize the feelings of the poet
who is trying to say he is as hopeless as all the things listed.
The word no one is repeated in lines 5,7 and 9 in stanza four.

4. Personification
Personification is when you give human characteristics to objects that are not human and usually
the objects are not alive.
Eg: the carburetor choked itself by bits of dirt, the toothless stapler

5. Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the words that are close to each other.
Eg: unwashed porridge pan, an empty Cola can

6. Alliteration
Alliteration occurs when a series of words repeat the same consonants or sounds.
Eg: that mars instead of mends,the gum is gone

7. Symbol
scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan is symbolic of something left behind and utterly
useless.
theSellotape where you cant find the end is symbolic of the feelings of frustration.

THEMES
1. Rejection
The persona compares himself with unwanted things and this suggests that he has faced rejection and feels unwanted in
some ways.
2. Negligence of ones possessions
The discarded items appear to have been thoughtlessly thrown away and forgotten which represent the personas
feelings.
3. Feeling of uselessness

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The items are considered unwanted because they appear to have run out of use and this is similar to the personas
situation where he feels that people no longer need him. He feels unloved by family and friends.
4. Negativism about life
The persona starts to look at his life through a negative window because he feels unwanted.

MORAL VALUES
1. We should be positive about our status in life.
2. We should learn to recognise and value our abilities and possessions.
Rejection
3. We should have faith in our family.
4. We should have confidence in ourselves.
5. We must be grateful for what we have rather than yearn for something different.

Fill in the blanks with the words found in the poem. Refer to the pictures given.

The persona in the poem

tells off his feeling of sadness and be neglected. To express these feelings,

he compares himself with several things that found in the home. The

(1)r__________from a drink can and food (2)s____________ from an

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SAD I AMS by Trevor Millum FORM 1

unwashed porridge pan are usually discarded. (3)B__________ parts of

discarded last years Action Man are usually thrown out too.

Only(4)e_____________ with gums are useful. Sticky tapes, a stapleless

stapler, a broken(5)b_____________ clip, and liquid paper are popular

items in our stationery aids. However, they are useful if they are

serviceable.

The same goes with parts

of a car. The battery must be

well-charged and the(6)s_______ m_______ workable for the car to work

well. A lifeless sparkling plug , a chocked carburettor and a dull chromium

trim all add to make the car unattractive. The persona feels like an

unkempt garden, an untouched library (7)b___________ and an unfed

( 8 )s_____________ on the street or unneeded piece of good advice.

PRACTICE 1
Read stanza 1 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.
washed ring pulled faulty
broken leftovers scrapings household

I am
the ring
from an empty Cola can
the scrapings

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SAD I AMS by Trevor Millum FORM 1
from an unwashed porridge pan
the severed arm
from the last years Action Man

a. In stanza 1, what does the pesona compare himself with?

He compares himself with the _____________ of a drink can,
_________________ from a porridge pan and the _____________ part of a
discarded toy.

b. Where do we find the things mentioned in this stanza?

These things can be found in the ________________________.

c. Why do you think the porridge pan is dirty?

It has not been _________________ and has ________________ in it.

d. What could have caused the arm of Action Man to be severed?

Give two possible reasons.
Reason 1 : It could have been _______________ out by a child playing with it
Reason 2 : The toy could have been ____________________.

PRACTICE 2
Read stanza 2 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.
Alliteration persona frustrated things
unwanted gum disposable gone

I am
the envelope
on which the gum is gone the sellotape
where you cant find the end
the toothless stapler, springless bulldog clip
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the dried-up liquid paper
the mars instead of mends
the stamped addressed reply
that you forgot
to send

a. In stanza 2, why cant the envelope be sealed?

The ___________________ is ____________________.

b. State the literary device used for the phrase the gum is gone.
_______________________

c. How would people feel if they could not find the end of a Sellotape?
They would feel _________________________

d. What is the main characteristic of the things mentioned in the

poem that makes the persona relate to it? Why would he
feel this way?
i. The main characteristic:
Main characteristic is that they are _______________ and unwanted
___________.
ii. Reason:
Perhaps the ________________ feels ____________________ too.

PRACTICE 3
Read stanza 3 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.
dirt recycle flat
worn out thread give

I am
the battery in which no charge is left
the starter motor which remains inert
the tyre on which the tread is worn

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SAD I AMS by Trevor Millum FORM 1
the sparking plug which shows no sign of spark
the carburettor choked by bits of dirt
the chromium trim from which the shine has gone

a.In stanza 3, what happened to the carburettor?

It is filled with ____________________.

b. How do we describe the battery that has no charge left?

The battery is _____________________.

c. Why is the tyre discarded?

It is discarded because the ____________________ has
________________________.

d. What should we do to the things that we do not want anymore? Give two possible
suggestions.

Suggestion 1: We should ______________________ and reuse

Suggestion 2: We can __________________ them to those in need

PRACTICE 4
Read stanza 4 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.
positive useful shelter abilities
neglected pet recognise feed

I am
a garden
overgrown with weeds
a library
that no one ever reads

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a stray
which no one thinks to feed
the piece of advice which no one seems to need

a. Why do you think the persona feels like a overgrown garden?

He feels this way possibly because like an overgrown garden, he feels
__________________

b. If you see a stray animal, what would you do?

I will keep it as a ______________/ I will take the stray to the animal
_______________/I will _________________the stray.

c. What does the phrase the piece of good advice which no one seems to need
mean?
Advice that is __________________but tends to be ignored by people.

d. List down two moral values that you have learned from the poem.
Moral Value 1: We should be _______________________ about our status in
life.
Moral Value 2: We should learn to __________________________ and value
our _________________ and possessions.

ANSWER

The persona in the poem tells off his feeling of sadness and be neglected. To express these feelings, he
compares himself with several things that found in the home. The (1)ring from a drink can and food (2)scrapings from
an unwashed porridge pan are usually discarded. (3)Broken parts of discarded last years Action Man are usually
thrown out too. Only(4)envelopes with gums are useful. Sticky tapes, a stapleless stapler, a broken(5)bulldog clip, and
liquid paper are popular items in our stationery aids. However, they are useful if they are serviceable.
The same goes with parts of a car. The battery must be well-charged and the(6)starter motor workable for the
car to work well. A lifeless sparkling plug , a chocked carburettor and a dull chromium trim all add to make the car
unattractive. The persona feels like an unkempt garden, an untouched library (7)book and an unfed ( 8 )stray on the
street or unneeded piece of good advice.

PRACTICE 1
a. He compares himself with the ring of a drink can, scrapings from a porridge pan and the broken part of a
discarded toy.
b. These things can be found in the household.
c. It has not been washed and has leftovers in it.

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d. The two reasons are it could have been pulled out by a child playing with it and the toy could have been
faulty.

PRACTICE 2

a. The gum is gone.

b. Alliteration
c. They would feel frustrated
d. i. Main characteristic is that they are disposable and unwanted things.
ii. Perhaps the persona feels unwanted too.

PRACTICE 3

a.It is filled with dirt.

b. The battery is flat
c. It is discarded because the tread has worn out
d. We should recycle and reuse
We should give them to those in need

PRACTICE 4

a. He feels this way possibly because like an overgrown garden, he feels neglected
b. I will keep it as a pet/ I will take the stray to the animal shelter/I will feed the stray.
c.Advice that is useful but tends to be ignored by people.
d. Choose any two of these:
1. We should be positive about our status in life.
2. We should learn to recognize and value our abilities and possessions.