I, I, I | Themes
The Nature of the Self
“I, I, I” explores the nature of the self, a topic that the speaker has come to understand better as an adult than he did as a child. The poem presents the concept that there are two selves: one that acts and another that watches or witnesses the action. Carruth is describing the moment of individuation, when the self becomes conscious of the self and the concept of I is born: “The starting point, the place where the mind begins.” Although it is a moment in time, it is also a state of being, in that it is possible to maintain a...
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