Hangman Essay

1961 Words8 Pages
Hangman “Hangman,” by Maurice Ogden is a poem about the structure of humanity and how it involves each and every person on the face of this earth. The poem “Hangman” takes the reader on a very vivid journey through a town where justice is always on the mind of the Hangman. In the poem the narrator takes the reader in to his world and the life he has begun to lead, while is following after the Hangman. In this paper I will argue that stereotyping and prejudice can completely destroy a society, by singling out individuals, eliminating their rights and culture. The narrator is a man that is very small and meek in character. He has no real opinion only the opinion that is formulated for him by others. “And we breathed again, for another's grief/ At the Hangman's hand was our relief/ And the gallows-frame on the courthouse lawn/ By tomorrow's sun would be struck and gone/ So we gave him way, and no one spoke,” (Line 24-26). This excerpt from the poem is a prime example of how society will stand by while someone’s life is taken or they are singled out and ridiculed. The narrator and the audience in this particular poem are one in the same. The narrator represents us, society as individuals. The audience represents us, society as a whole. People will stand by while someone is carried off and made an example of. In “Hangman” we see this example is prevalent when the narrator and the audience watch as the Hangman executes a man of foreign decent. The man is not a criminal nor does he have any ill wills he is just someone that is not originally from the town in which the Hangman is currently residing. People in our society are afraid to speak up, out of the fear of being different or being persecuted, themselves. When one person in the audience decided to speak up against the Hangman they were next in line to be persecuted. It is easy to comprehend why society is
Open Document