I... cried 'no more!
-- Speaker (Line 1)

Importance: The poem begins with this line, laying out the poem's initial theme. It depicts the speaker's rejection of their current situation. He is, in this line, completely dismissing the way his life has gone, and turning away from what is expected from him.

I will abroad.
-- Speaker (Line 2)

Importance: This line, repeated twice in the poem, is the closest the speaker comes to naming a plan for what he will do, having rejected society's expectations. He does not specify what he will do with his free life, except that he plans to travel "abroad." This constitutes a rejection, not just of what is expected of his future, but also of what his past has been.

There is fruit, and thou hast hands.
-- Speaker (Lines 17–18)

Importance: In this line, the speaker expresses his longing for the good things of life, represented by "fruit" (17). He feels that these things have been denied to...