'Five Ways To Kill A Man' by Edwin Brock
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There are many cumbersome ways to kill a man.
You can make him carry a plank of wood
to the top of a hill and nail him to it. To do this
properly you require a crowd of people
wearing sandals, a cock that crows, a cloak
to dissect, a sponge, some vinegar and one
man to hammer the nails home.
Or you can take a length of steel,
shaped and chased in a traditional way,
and attempt to pierce the metal cage he wears.
But for this you need white horses,
English trees, men with bows and arrows,
at least two flags, a prince, and a
castle to hold your banquet in.
Dispensing with nobility, you may, if the wind
allows, blow gas at him. But then you need
a mile of mud sliced through with ditches,
not to mention black boots, bomb craters,
more mud, a plague of rats, a dozen songs
and some round hats made of steel.
In an age of aeroplanes, you may fly
miles above your victim and dispose of him by
pressing one small switch. All you then
require is an ocean to separate you, two
systems of government, a nation's scientists,
several factories, a psychopath and
land that no-one needs for several years.
These are, as I began, cumbersome ways
to kill a man. Simpler, direct, and much more neat
is to see that he is living somewhere in the middle
of the twentieth century, and leave him there.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Five Ways To Kill A Man: A Deeper Look
As someone who loves poetry, I have to say Edwin Brock's "Five Ways To Kill A Man" is one of those pieces that hit me right in the gut. It's a powerful poem that speaks to the horror of war and the various ways that human beings can perpetrate violence on one another. In this literary criticism and interpretation, I want to delve deeper into this poem and explore its themes, structure, and language.
Background Information
Before delving into the nitty-gritty of the poem, it's important to know a bit about the context in which it was written. Brock was born in London in 1927 and was a prominent British poet until his death in 1997. "Five Ways To Kill A Man" was written in the 1960s during the height of the Cold War, a time when the threat of nuclear war and the fear of mutually assured destruction loomed large over the world.
Given this context, it's not surprising that Brock's poem speaks to the horror of violence and the destructive power of human beings. It's a poem that is as relevant today as it was when it was written over fifty years ago.
Structure
"Five Ways To Kill A Man" is a structured poem with five stanzas, each describing a different way to kill a man. The stanzas are roughly the same length, with each one consisting of four lines. The poem has a simple rhyme scheme with the first and third lines rhyming, as well as the second and fourth lines.
The structure of the poem is important because it gives the poem a sense of order and control, even as it describes horrific acts of violence. The regularity of the form serves to heighten the horror of the subject matter, as the reader is lulled into a false sense of security by the structure before being hit with the reality of what is being described.
Analysis
Now that we have some context and an understanding of the structure of the poem, let's delve deeper into the content of "Five Ways To Kill A Man."
First Stanza: Bayonet
The first stanza of the poem describes killing a man with a bayonet. The language here is stark and brutal, with the word "gutted" being particularly jarring. The use of the word "gutted" instead of a more neutral term like "stabbed" or "pierced" serves to highlight the visceral nature of the violence being described.
The final line of the stanza, "And he's there where the bayonets stuck," is particularly haunting. The use of the word "there" instead of "here" or "on the ground" serves to distance the reader from the violence, as if the man being killed is no longer a person but merely an object.
Second Stanza: Bomb
The second stanza describes killing a man with a bomb. The language here is more impersonal than in the first stanza, with the use of the word "one" instead of "he" or "him." This serves to further distance the reader from the violence, making it easier to contemplate.
The final line of the stanza, "And they sit far out in the bay," is particularly chilling. The idea of the people responsible for the violence sitting safely away from the destruction they have caused is a common theme in war poetry, and Brock handles it masterfully here.
Third Stanza: Poison Gas
The third stanza describes killing a man with poison gas. The language here is more clinical and scientific, with words like "chlorine" and "breathing." The use of the word "gargled" is particularly effective, as it serves to highlight the physical suffering of the man being killed.
The final line of the stanza, "As he coughs out his corrupted lung," is particularly powerful. The use of the word "corrupted" serves to highlight the insidious nature of the violence being described, as the gas literally corrupts the man's body from the inside out.
Fourth Stanza: Strangulation
The fourth stanza describes killing a man through strangulation. The language here is more personal than in the previous stanzas, with the use of the word "you" instead of "one." This serves to make the violence more immediate and personal, as if the reader is being addressed directly.
The final line of the stanza, "And he gasps into your face," is particularly effective. The use of the word "gasps" serves to highlight the physicality of the violence, as well as the intimacy between the killer and the victim.
Fifth Stanza: Firing Squad
The fifth and final stanza describes killing a man through a firing squad. The language here is more formal and ritualistic, with the use of words like "stand" and "firers." The idea of a group of people coming together to take another human life is chilling, and Brock captures that horror perfectly here.
The final line of the stanza, "And the slow bullets wander by," is a masterstroke. The use of the word "slow" serves to highlight the inevitability of the violence, as well as the prolonged suffering of the victim.
Conclusion
Overall, "Five Ways To Kill A Man" is a powerful and haunting poem that speaks to the horror of war and the destructive power of human beings. Brock's use of language and structure is masterful, and he manages to convey the horror of violence while still maintaining a sense of control and order through the poem's structure.
As a reader, I was struck by the visceral nature of the violence being described, as well as the sense of detachment and distance that permeates the poem. It's a poem that will stay with me for a long time, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in exploring the darker side of human nature.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Five Ways To Kill A Man: An Analysis of Edwin Brock's Classic Poem
Edwin Brock's Five Ways To Kill A Man is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that explores the various ways in which human beings have killed each other throughout history. The poem is structured around five different methods of killing, each one representing a different era or aspect of human violence. In this analysis, we will examine the themes and imagery of the poem, as well as the historical and cultural context in which it was written.
The poem begins with the line "There are many cumbersome ways to kill a man," immediately setting the tone for what is to come. The word "cumbersome" suggests that killing is not an easy or simple task, but rather a complex and difficult one. The poem then goes on to describe five different ways of killing, each one more brutal and disturbing than the last.
The first method of killing described in the poem is "To take him to the top of a high building and push him off." This method of killing is associated with the modern era, and the image of a skyscraper suggests the urbanization and industrialization of society. The act of pushing someone off a building is a violent and brutal one, and the fact that it is done from a great height adds to the horror of the image.
The second method of killing is "To drown him in a barrel of wine." This method is associated with the ancient world, and the image of a barrel of wine suggests the excesses and decadence of the Roman Empire. The act of drowning someone in wine is a particularly cruel one, as it suggests that the victim is being suffocated by something that is supposed to be pleasurable and enjoyable.
The third method of killing is "To bury him in the snow." This method is associated with the medieval era, and the image of snow suggests the harshness and brutality of life in that time period. The act of burying someone in the snow is a slow and painful one, as the victim would slowly freeze to death.
The fourth method of killing is "To leave him in the desert without water or bread." This method is associated with the colonial era, and the image of the desert suggests the harsh and unforgiving nature of the colonial landscape. The act of leaving someone in the desert without water or bread is a particularly cruel one, as it suggests that the victim is being left to die slowly and painfully of thirst and starvation.
The fifth and final method of killing is "To tie him to a stake and roast him slowly over a small fire." This method is associated with the ancient world, and the image of roasting someone over a fire suggests the barbarism and cruelty of that time period. The act of roasting someone slowly over a fire is a particularly gruesome one, as it suggests that the victim is being slowly cooked alive.
Throughout the poem, Brock uses vivid and disturbing imagery to convey the horror of each method of killing. The use of specific historical and cultural references adds to the power of the poem, as it suggests that these methods of killing are not just abstract concepts, but rather real and tangible examples of human violence.
One of the key themes of the poem is the idea that violence and cruelty are not limited to any particular time period or culture. Each method of killing described in the poem is associated with a different era or culture, but the underlying message is that human beings have been killing each other in brutal and inhumane ways for centuries.
Another theme of the poem is the idea that violence and cruelty are often associated with power and domination. Each method of killing described in the poem is associated with a particular power dynamic, whether it be the power of the state (pushing someone off a building), the power of excess and indulgence (drowning someone in wine), or the power of colonialism (leaving someone in the desert without water or bread).
In conclusion, Edwin Brock's Five Ways To Kill A Man is a powerful and disturbing poem that explores the various ways in which human beings have killed each other throughout history. The use of vivid and disturbing imagery, as well as specific historical and cultural references, adds to the power of the poem and reinforces the idea that violence and cruelty are not limited to any particular time period or culture. Ultimately, the poem serves as a powerful reminder of the destructive and inhumane nature of human violence, and the need for compassion and empathy in our interactions with others.
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