Title - What Would I Give?

• The Title 'What Would I Give?' suggests a yearning for transformation and hints at the speaker's willingness to sacrifice anything for emotional or spiritual renewal - It evokes the Christian theme of offering - giving up worldly desires or pride in exchange for grace - This framing positions the speaker as penitential, eager to trade their current state of numbness for divine compassion
• The Title 'What Would I Give?' implies an inner crisis, as if the speaker is overwhelmed by the depth of their need yet unable to meet it - It communicates a sense of powerlessness, highlighting how even a great personal offering might not be enough to restore feeling or purity - The conditional tense intensifies the emotional desperation, as the speaker fantasises about giving - yet is bound by inability
• The Title 'What Would I Give?' frames the poem as a confession, with the speaker questioning their own moral capacity to change - It implies the recognition of a personal failing or ‘stain’ that must be cleansed, thus connecting to themes of sin and repentance - The act of asking what could be given suggests deep guilt and an urgent search for redemption
• The Title 'What Would I Give?' can be interpreted as a universal expression of human yearning - for feeling, meaning, or connection - The title captures the existential dilemma of desiring something unattainable, where emotional or spiritual fulfilment lies just beyond reach - It reflects the human tendency to idealise what we lack and undervalue what we have
• The Title 'What Would I Give?' may also subtly critique the societal or internal forces that have left the speaker emotionally barren - The question “what would I give” implies a longing to reclaim lost vulnerability, perhaps repressed due to external expectations or internalised guilt - In this light, the title becomes a quiet rebellion against emotional stoicism, expressing a deep wish to feel fully and freely again