Summary and Analysis of Five Ways to Kill a Man by Edwin Brock 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.Alludes to events in history in chronological orderBrock shows no emotionthroughout so that he can create a dull feel toward humanity. The poem suggests thattoday's society is cares nothing for the value of life itself; thus Brock shows no emotionto promote the idea. The final stanza once again refers to the lack of care for life statingthat placing someone 'somewhere in the middle of the twentieth century' is a 'Simpler,direct and much more neat' way to kill a man. Brock shows just how inhumane society isand has been since the death of Christ while also displaying how heartless and horrifyingtoday's world has become.this poem has a sarcastic tone to it. The poet shows no emotions or opinions in this poem,and that sort of means that the poet think when people kill each other, they cannot gainanything from it. so this poem shows the continuity and the meaningless of wars andkilling. Also, it shows the desire in human to kill progresses as the first method only killsone Man, the second a bit more, and the last two World Wars had millions of casualties.The poet is pointing out that with the technical advance comes more weapons, and withmore weapons comes easier ways of killing people, and at last human are going to killthemselves.I truely think that is the mostappropriete way to set this poem outthe ending was the best part in my point of view. it is about one'sspirit dying and that, to me is worth than any physical death.It refers to our own personal inhumanity rather than our socialinhumanity - of all the weapons and technological advances that areutilised as instruments of destruction, man itself remains mankinds'greatest threat.Recipe methodThe world today is a very harshand difficult place to live in. you just have to turn on the radio or the television andyoull hear another tragic tale of death, war and poverty.The economic climate is in a ridiculous state. Weve had to borrow billions of euros to try and dig ourselves out of the trouble weve got ourselves in, and that is aridiculous state to be in.Every day we hear tales of new wars, or old wars getting worse. North Koreaand South Korea are fighting relentlessly in their most vicious dispute in a very longtime.People are being killed by man and disease (or a combination of both) all thetime, and unless the person is famous, nobody seems to care. It doesnt affect themso its somebody elses problemAuthor's style-----Brock's two Archive poems amply demonstrate the virtues of his "intensely felt, supple, direct andmemorable work" (Anthony Thwaite)'Five Ways to Kill a Man' is chilling in its deliberatelyemotionless tone as it uses the language of a practical manual to explore humanity's cruelty.Progress is reduced to the way in which mankind has "improved" its methods of killing.The poem has an air of authority which Brock's reading emphasises. Themes:Modern life (trials)Cruelty of humanity throughout history Thought-provokingUnusual/original/fresh perspectiveHumour wry/black/dark humourA poem which you can relate toWarConflictYou just let him live there, and chances are he'll die due to any cause but a natural one. Though he doesn't directly insult science and technology, the poet subtly insults those who abuse the power of science. Through this poem we see how, as time advances, the advent of modern technology makes killing easier, faster, and more refined, gradually increasing the distance between the killer and the victim. In the biblical times, a whole crowd had to come in direct contact to kill one single person, but by the world wars, the killer didn't even have to see his victims, as he annihilated entire cities, comfortably sitting in his plane and controlling the fate of millions of innocents. Brock also notes in this emotionless poem, that this vast amount of killing has wiped out humanity completely, and left us desensitized to death, and completely devoid of emotions and sympathy. Brock demonstrates that over time, man changes, his reasons for killing changes, the ability technology presents, but the basic human tendency to kill remains the same.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 man always ended up losing his life and the other celebrated his death. Similarly, crowns used to go on conquering sprees, fighting huge wars to annex small kingdoms. Tow countries would go to war and thousands of people would die on both sides, before one prince would emerge as victorious. Then the prince would throw a banquet, celebrating his victory and the deaths of the numerous people he killed.Here knights, foolishly slaughter one another to prove their mettle and valor, in the futile game of jousting, where nothing is ultimately accomplished, but one man always ended up dead, the other celebrating his death. They would face each other on royal white horses, attacking with their swords, only protected by their ridiculous metal cages, ready to kill or be killed. Similarly, crowns would go on conquering sprees, fighting huge wars to annex small kingdoms. Two countries, or two flags, would go to war, and huge numbers of people would die on both sides, before one prince emerged 'victorious'. This prince would then hold a banquet to celebrate the deaths of the numerous people who he had just killed.Stanza 3: The third stanza of Five Ways to Kill a Man is about the First World War. The poet says that this period did not require Princes or loyal knights to kill. They only needed the favourable wind direction to blow the deadly gas towards their opponents. The poet here refers to the poisonous gas warfare that was popular during the World War. In 1915, the British used gas cylinders on the Germans. However, the wind direction changed and the gas came back to the British soldiers and poisoned them. Edwin Brock also describes the horrors of bombs, mud-blackened boots, plague of mice and the miserable living conditions in the ditches. The poet talks about all those patriotic songs that were sung to boost the morale of the soldiers and make them feel proud for killing their enemies.Stanza 4: The advent of the airplane and the atomic bomb is what the fourth stanza is about. Here in this very stanza, he is referring to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the USA during the Second World War. He says that this required an ocean to separate you referring to the cultural gap between America and Japan; two systems of government referring to the difference in the administrative systems of the two countries; a nations scientists and several factories to produce lethal weapons of mass destruction like an atomic bomb. This horrible act of mass killing was executed by a psychopath possibly referring to the then President of the USA, Harry S. Truman who authorized the bombing on Japan. Land that no one needs for several years is a reference to regions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were completely destroyed by the effects of radiation.Stanza 5: The final stanza talks about the far simple and more direct methods to kill a man. The poet says that methods described in the first four stanzas were too cumbersome. The simpler and direct method to kill someone is by leaving the victim somewhere in the middle of the 20th century. Here, Edwin Brock is referring to the miserable and tragic conditions which were prevalent after the Second World War, which included poverty, hunger, malnutrition, diseases, religious intolerance and joblessness. In such terrible conditions, man was already dying of pain every day in order to survive.Theme:Five Ways to Kill a Man focuses on the loss of humanity in man with every passing era. The poem describes the methods used by man to kill other men for his own selfish motives. The first stanza talks about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the second is about the medieval age, the third and fourth stanzas talk about the First and Second World War, respectively. The poet wants to convey a message through this poem. He wants to say that man has become devoid of emotions and sympathy. Man has developed newer scientific methods which has made killing easier and faster. People kill one another, physically or mentally to survive in the world today. Children are dying of hunger, malnutrition and diseases. People have to endure pain in order to survive and therefore, they are dying a slow death. Thus, the poem wants to highlight the fact that though man acquired new methods to discover, create but the basic human tendency to kill remain unchanged.Form and Language:The poem is composed in free verse with no end rhyming scheme. The descriptions of the ways of killing a man are chronologically arranged. Each stanza depicts one possible way to kill a man. Every stanza except the last stanza consists of run-on lines. Run-on lines suggest that the rhythm does not conform to any structure and is free flowing.The poem is written in a simple language to describe the different ways to kill a man. The words are used cold and blunt. The words used to describe the crucifixion of Christ depict the lack of humanity and emotionless nature of man.Allusion:There are several allusions in the poem, Five Ways to Kill a Man.The first stanza of the poem alludes to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This is done by describing the method by which Jesus was crucified. He was forced to carry a plank of wood up to Golgotha hill. On the way, a big hostile crowd accompanied him and humiliated him. He was tortured and nailed to the cross where he eventually died.The second stanza refers to the Wars of Roses to illustrate how wars were fought for the sake of crown and honour during the medieval age.The third stanza refers to gas warfare in the First World War.The fourth stanza refers to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945, by the USA.Poetical Devices:Alliteration: The examples of the alliteration are as follows,-*cock that crows*hammer the nails home*mile of mud*black boots*small switch*much moreAssonance: Example of assonance is:*bows and arrowsPersonification: ..if the wind allows, blow gas at him is an example of fine personification in the poem.Five Ways to Kill a Man by Edwin Brock mocks at the dehumanization of man. The poem is written in a simple language to describe the different ways to kill a man. The words are used cold and blunt.The main theme of the poem is the loss of humanity in mankind with every passing era. Man has an natural instinct to fight, kill and to destroy. The poem describes the various ways man has devised since ancient times to take lives of his fellow human beings for his own selfish motives.Each stanza of the poem deals with one killing method of man that is inflicted on the other. The very first stanza of the poem, Five Ways to Kill a Man begins with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. A whole crowd walks up a hill as they force him to carry the cross upon his back. 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.The first stanza has dark undertones of sarcasm in it. The method used to torture him and kill him are termed as cumbersome by the poet. The sheer lack of humanity on the part of the crowd which watches a man brutally crucified is portrayed in the first stanza.The second stanza moves to the medieval age. 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.Similarly, crowns used to go on conquering sprees, fighting huge wars to annex small kingdoms. Two countries would go to war and thousands o f people would die on both sides, before one prince would emerge as victorious. Then the prince would throw a banquet, celebrating his victory and the deaths of the numerous people he killed.The poet then moves on to the topic of World Wars in which it was lot easier to kill due to the advent of science. The use of atomic bombs which can kill millions and millions of people just with the touch of a button. . In 1915, the British used gas cylinders on the Germans. The poet then refers to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the USA during the Second World War. This horrible act of mass killing was executed by a psychopath possibly referring to the then President of the USA, Harry S. Truman who authorized the bombing on Japan. Land that no one needs for several years is a reference to regions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were completely destroyed by the effects of radiation. In the final stanza, the poet argues that there is no need to adopt cumbersome ways of killing men in the 20th century. This era is already infested with diseases, destitution, accidents, wars and hatred which is enough to kill a person.Through Five Ways to Kill a Man, Edwin Brock conveys the message of how man dehumanizes himself as he progresses. Man has made life comfortable by inventing more and more scientific technology, at the same time, he is also acquiring new methods to make killing more easier. Every single day children die of diseases, malnutrition, people become victims of joblessness, poverty, hunger and religious conflicts. Thus, the poem highlights the fact that man changes with time and his reasons for his killing too.Brock deals with the progression of death across history and concludes that death carries no emotions for the victim; death sees only death. The progression of death throughout the poem follows the significant periods of death over the past two thousand years or so. In the first stanza, death is represented through crucifiction - not necessarily of Jesus, but his death is implied - the second stanza deals with death through the ages, more specifically the Middle Ages where by death was simplistic and is represented thusly. The third stanza deals with WWI - not WWII - this can be seen through the "round hats made of steel,". The fourth stanza looks at the Cold War and further emphasises the lack of emotions of death through the depersonalisation of "victims" followed by, again, simplicity surrounding death with "pressing one small switch." The fifth and final stanza comments on the last way to kill a man - letting him live in the 20th century. The poem implies that the death and destruction is condensing throughout history, making it an everyday thing that will continue on its path.One is said to be kept amdist the chaos of 20th century and nothing rescue him from the impending doom.The 3rd stanza: chorine gas used in the 2nd battle of Ypres 1915 - it took a week to dig the gas tanks and fuse mechanisms in " no mans land" and even longer time to wait for the "wind to allow blowing gas at him". In very short time they applied gas onto shells delivered by artilery so the wind was no longer a decisive factor. "Dispensing with nobility" - there was a huge debate on German side on the morality to use gas, irony is the fact that the "inventor" was awarded the Nobel price tor chemistry later - how noble :-( Ypres was also know to be the "muddest" terrain in the western front."round hats made of steel" - the modern helmet was first used in ww1The first four stanzas are pretty straightforward.The first is obviously about Jesus in the first century.The second is the European Middles ages ranging from the fifth to fifteenth centuries.The third is World War I in the early 1900s.The fourth is World War II in the mid 1900s.The poem gets progressively more violent and killing more people and as time goes on, the people of each century become less and less religious.The last stanza is very confusing. But a \"simpler, direct, and much more neat\" way to kill a man is to leave him in a century full of no hope or lacks religious belief. I believe the meaning of this poem is that the world\'s history has killed the twentieth century man.nobody realises but there is only 4 real ways to kill a man in this poem. the last one is a mockery of how dangerously people live in the twentieth century.last stanza is a perfect stroke given by the poet which makes us realize that how we are filling this world with dishonesty and cruelty.the people living in 20th century were materialistic,harsh on other's lives how we are ruining the world.Through the entire "timeline" of the poem, the author talks about these "cumbersome" ways of killing, while paradoxically each stanza shows advancements in more sophisticated ways to kill.However, the pivotal point in the poem is found with the final stanza. It reiterates that all the prior methods listed are cumbersome. This is a surprise, not for the first several stanzas, but it is for the stanza on World War II: when advanced technology had created an atomic bomb that brought about Japan's surrender.The final irony is the author's message that advancements in technology provide no better way for killing: the best way to kill, he pro ports, is to leave mankind to its own devices. By doing so, men will kill themselves in the way they live during the most advanced age known to man, the twentieth century. In other words, when mankind should have the most answers to avoid war, without any help the human race will "self-destruct."This poem by Edwin Brock is often considered a poem against war, whereas in fact it is a poem aboutthe loss of humanity. It is written much like an instruction guide or recipe book, telling the readerthe manner in which a man can be efficiently killed. Each stanza deals with one method of killing;each one distancing the killer further from his victim, till in the last stanza there is neither killer norvictim, but just a living death. [BR] In the first stanza the crucifixion of Jesus is refered to. Here thereader is told that all that is required is a plank of wood and some nails and hammer to drive themhome. This deliberately dead pan and emotionless tone underlines the lack of humanity that is fastbecoming the hall mark of current war fare with its references to "collateral damage", aconveniently clinical term for civilan casualties. [BR] In the second stanza the poet uses the War of Roses as a way to illustrate how wars were fought for the sake of crown and honour, whereas therewas nothing noble in the brutal hand to hand warfare using common agricultural tools like bill hooksaxes and hammers that pierced armour with ease. The armour is called "a metal cage", the weapons"shaped and chased in a traditonal way".All you need is a prince, two flags (representing the Housesof York and Lancaster) and the English countryside marred with the killings of battle. You require acastle to hold your banquet in to celebrate your victory while the brutal and ignoble nature of thiswar is hidden in the image of "white horses" and "English trees". In the next stanza we are told thatwe may dispense with nobility altogether as the poet brings our attention to the cruel practise of gaswarfare in the First World War. "...you may if the wind allows, blow gas at him..." sounds as harmlessas a child blowing bubbles or at the most someone blowing cigarette smoke in your face. In 1915when the British used gas cylinders to send Chlorine gas towards the German front lines the winddirection changed and the gas came back to poison the British soldiers. In this stanza the poet bringsour attention to the other horrors of trench warfare, as he says to kill a man in this way you alsoneed bomb craters, a mile of mud, a plague of rats. This sounds exaclty like a list of ingredients for arecipe. [BR][BR]As we dehumanize ourselves further in the fourth stanza we are told we may flymiles about our victim and "dispose" of him by pressing a small switch. But now we require an oceanto separate us, two different ideologies and scientists and a psycopath. This is an obvious referenceto the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. We are left with "land that no oneneeds for several years", as if that was the end of this exercise.[BR][BR]However the argument issuccintly clinched in the last stanza of the poem in just four lines. These methods after all are toocumbersome and it is far simpler and more direct to see that our victim is living somewhere in themiddle of the twentieth century and leave him there.[BR][BR]This the most telling part of this poem.We find here the hopelessness of life as we know it today. We must kill our humanity to survive inthe world of today, with daily news reports of children dying of disease and malnutrition, peoplebecoming victims of religious intolerance, suicide attacks, honur killings, suicides due to joblessnessin developing countries and the sheer scale of human idiocy in destroying its own race. We have hadto desensitize ourselves to this daily onslaught of pain in order to survive and in so doing we are infact slowly dying.It is too painful to shed tears over every mining victim, every bomblast victim, everywoman stigmatised. So we kill ourselves, we kill our hopes and our very desire to live. We become asmechanical as the tone of this poem in our efforts to deal with the horrors of daily life, with thataccident we see during rush hour, with the child victim of some pedophile we see on the news. Welearn to numb our pain in a world full of pin-pricks. In doing so we may as well be dead. [BR][BR]Inshort this poem, is brutally simple, its tone clinical to the point of instructional prose, and yet it doesso well what Wordsworth said a poem must, appear to the reader as a remembrance of his ownhighest thoughts. The average man today is helpless in the face of what a few misguided leaders aredoing to destroy humanity, and this poem voices for us this frustration and this bitter truth. Million of protestors all around the world could not dissuade America and Brittain from attacking Iraq. This poem stands witness to how our hopes and the voice of humanity can be easily silenced. In doing so it urges us to speak up against our spiritual death and resurrect our dying humanity.