1. What is the persona asking the reader to bring?

The persona seems to ask the reader, specially target readers like euthanizers and
authorities who abuse their power, to bring the death blow. This can be observed in the
lines “remember to carry the hardest & heaviest rifles” and “bring some gasoline to
singe our unwashed conscience.” Furthermore, it can be inferred that the persona is
telling the reader to do the deed without hesitation, understating the thought of killing.
This is observed in the lines “show no mercy if we forget to stoop when asking for
charity” and “cut off our fists if we clench & raise them in protest.”

2. What should be done when the reader is welcomed with “hands/reeking of slime or
grease?” When the persona raises his/her clenched fist in protest?
When welcomed with hands reeking of slime or grease, the reader should handcuff the
persona for, as cited from the poem, their disgusting misconduct and be taken to a
prison or a graveyard; which implies death. As for when the person clenches their fist in
protest, the reader should cut off the fists. This suggests that the person should not
hesitate to land the mercy death blow, even if the persona does not will it.

3. Give the other “suggestions” made by the persona. Are those suggestions sincere and to
be taken seriously? Why or why not?
Some of the other suggestions are “carry the hardest & heaviest rifles to jog our
memory,” “sear our flesh misshapen by bullet holes,” “gorge our parched throats with
your dirt,” and “bury a dagger” into the neck of crying babies. I don’t think it should be
taken seriously. It is somehow sarcastic. The persona seems to make the reader feel
guilty or disturbed of dealing the mercy blow. This is observed in the lines “show more
pleasure when we grovel at your feet” and “when in truth you’re thinking how to
butcher us even more.” It is likely that the persona is hesitant of dying and they still
have a longing to grasp for life. Another inference would be that the persona was never
dying; they were only treated as useless and figuratively dying by others because of
their circumstances, like poverty.

4. Explain the following lines: Regale us with/more promises /contrived

/images, false/hopes.”
The word “regale” means to amuse or divert by talking. So, considering the context of
the poem, when it says regale us with “more promises, contrived images, and false
hope,” this means to delight and divert a person’s attention from what is to come. In a
way, the lines suggest that the target reader makes the persona feel at peace, even
when it is but a pretense, as they become subject to either figurative or literal death.
 Such can be related to the promises of politicians that, when commenced, kills or
further brings down the over-all state of the poorest of the poor, only to end up
unsuccessful.

5. Interpret the last stanza. What is the meaning of the lines:”… you’re/thinking/ how to
butcher us / even more?”
The lines lead to the persona’s view of the inner thoughts of the person dealing the
death blow. To start, when the full sentence is read, the persona thinks that the
aforementioned thought is cloaked under fake, hopeful promises. “Butcher us even
more” implies death will be brutal for the persona. This would contradict the purpose of
mercy killing. Moreover, it seems to make the readers unsettled of doing the action. So,
the lines may actually imply that the persona that does not approve of being dealt with
the mercy blow.

6. While there is only one persona, he/she uses plural nouns like we, us and our. Why?
The persona may have represented the collective thoughts of people who have been
killed through mercy killing. It opens a new perspective to the idea of mercy killing,
wherein there could have been others who did not want to die yet but were still dealt
with the mercy blow. Thus, the persona uses plural nouns to signify that it is not just the
experience of one human but also of others. Doing so further emphasizes the weight of
the idea in the poem.

7. Who do you think does the persona represent? What about the person/s addressed in
the poem?
In a simple perspective, the persona may represent people and animals that have died
through involuntary mercy killing. The persons addressed would be those that did the
killing blow. However, on a societal view, the persona could be interpreted as the
poorest of the poor who suffer from injustices. In this case, the people addressed in the
poem are politicians who “regale with more promises and false hopes.”

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)