Summary and Analysis of Five Ways to Kill a Man

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Summary and Analysis of Five Ways to Kill a Man “Five Ways to Kill a Man” by Edwin Brock mocks at the dehumanization of man. The poem describes the various ways that man has used, beginning from the ancient times to the 20th century, to kill other human beings. The methods he has used are crucifixion, lancing, gassing, bombing etc. Summary: Stanza 1: The very first stanza of the poem, ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ begins with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The method used to torture him and kill him are termed as ‘cumbersome’ by the poet. A whole crowd walks up a hill as they force him to carry the cross upon his back. Earlier, St. Peter had denied thrice to have known him when he was asked whether he was in the company of Jesus. The cock crowed to remind Peter that Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny Christ thrice before the cock would crow. Jesus was nailed to the cross and the cross was then pulled erect. Later on, Christ was asked to remove his cloak, so that he would not be able to have a proper burial and his corpse would be left on top of the hill semi-clad. Christ was tortured in many ways. When Christ asked for water, they gave him sponge soaked in vinegar tied to a rod which they put into his mouth. Eventually, Jesus died and they waited there and watched him die. Stanza 2: The second stanza talks about the medieval age when wars were fought for the sake of crown and honour. This is a reference to the Wars of Roses (1455-1485), a series of dynastic wars fought between the Houses of Lancaster and York, for the throne of England. There, the knights foolishly slaughtered each other with hook axes and hammers which could pierce the armour with ease. They rode and faced the opponents on white horses, attacking them with swords, ready to kill or to be killed. The poet calls this game of jousting as futile because nothing was accomplished, one

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