From a very young age, most people are taught to stand up for others. However, as people grow, many forget or ignore that lesson in favor of self preservation. The poem The Hangman, written by Maurice Ogden, illustrates this flawlessly. Ogden uses an eloquent tone and powerful language to convey the message that, in order to have others stand up for one’s personal interest, one must also defend others. Ogden’s poem was written in 1951, in response to a quote by Martin Niemoller, “First they came… No one left to speak out for me.” To help aid his ideal, Ogden creates a nameless speaker who is focused on self-preservation at the expense of other’s, which leads to his ultimate demise.
To foreshadow the speaker’s willingness to turn a blind eye …show more content…
Ogden writes, “And we breathed again, for another’s grief at the Hangman’s hand was our relief.” This line is powerful in characterization, meaning, and depth. This shows he is willing to sell another’s life in exchange for his own, and even be contented with this decision. From there, the Hangman begins to pick random citizens of the town, and hangs them at random with no regret and poor justifications, such as using a person’s weight to stretch a new rope, or hanging several for, “Easing the trap when the trap springs slow.” In the beginning, a handful of people protest the Hangman, “One cried “Murder!” One cried “Shame!”, but the Hangman merely leers and attempts to persuade the others not to care, by saying, “What concern have you for the doomed?” As the Hangman continues to hang the entire town, the speaker is soon the last citizen left. This shows that the speaker was so willing to stay quiet, and did not speak out for another even once. He lives in “A coward’s hope,” that the next victim will be the last, and that he will not be the next hanged. He fears that if he defends another, he will be next. However, when the entirety of the town is gone, the Hangman calls him to the gallows, where he prepares him for hanging. The speaker says, “You tricked me. Hangman!... That your scaffold was built for other men … And I no henchman of yours… You lied to me, Hangman, foully lied!" The Hangman simply replies, "Lied to you?
To foreshadow the speaker’s willingness to turn a blind eye …show more content…
Ogden writes, “And we breathed again, for another’s grief at the Hangman’s hand was our relief.” This line is powerful in characterization, meaning, and depth. This shows he is willing to sell another’s life in exchange for his own, and even be contented with this decision. From there, the Hangman begins to pick random citizens of the town, and hangs them at random with no regret and poor justifications, such as using a person’s weight to stretch a new rope, or hanging several for, “Easing the trap when the trap springs slow.” In the beginning, a handful of people protest the Hangman, “One cried “Murder!” One cried “Shame!”, but the Hangman merely leers and attempts to persuade the others not to care, by saying, “What concern have you for the doomed?” As the Hangman continues to hang the entire town, the speaker is soon the last citizen left. This shows that the speaker was so willing to stay quiet, and did not speak out for another even once. He lives in “A coward’s hope,” that the next victim will be the last, and that he will not be the next hanged. He fears that if he defends another, he will be next. However, when the entirety of the town is gone, the Hangman calls him to the gallows, where he prepares him for hanging. The speaker says, “You tricked me. Hangman!... That your scaffold was built for other men … And I no henchman of yours… You lied to me, Hangman, foully lied!" The Hangman simply replies, "Lied to you?