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 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 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.
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 more
Assonance: Example of assonance is:
*bows and arrows
Personification: ..if the wind allows, blow gas at him is an example of fine personification in the poem.
Hyperbole: and attempt to pierce the metal cage he wears is an example of a hyperbole to define the cruel acts
of killing a man.

What does the poem "Five Ways to Kill a Man" by Edwin Brock
say about the survival of the human race?
The poem is called "Five Ways to Kill a Man" by Edwin Brock.
1This poem is filled with irony. The author refers to several kinds of "warfare."
First he refers to the crucifixion of Christ (plank of wood, cock that crows, and a hill, etc.).
Next, he refers to the killing of knights during the medieval period (length of steel, metal cage he wears, and a
castle, etc.).
The third stanza refers to World War I (gas, rats, and a dozen songs), while the fourth stanza refers to World War
II (the atomic bomb and Hitlerthe psychopath).
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."
2I would say that this poem is pretty pessimistic about the human race's chances for long term survival. The
poet is saying that (in his day) it is so easy to kill people that a person living in his time is pretty much as good
as dead.
The poet goes over how killing people has changed since the time of Christ. As he points out, we are getting
better and better at killing people. It used to be difficult to do, but now it is getting easier and easier to the point
where all it takes is the press of a button.
Because killing people is getting so much easier, the poet seems to fear for the survival of the human race in the
long term
Do you find the poem "Five Ways to Kill a Man" to be realistic or pessimistic in tone?
1I would have to vote for "pessimistic" regarding this poem.
In the first four stanzas, the poem describes several ways of killing a man: crucifixion, lancing, gassing, and
bombing.
To me, the stanza about bombing is especially frightening, because all it requires is the "pressing [of] one small
switch." It is so impersonal that there is no reason to believe that the bomber has any feelings of anger or hatred
toward you.
The last stanza, of course, seals the pessimism:

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.
This leaves us with nowhere to escape to (except that we're now in the 21st century, which doesn't seem much
better than its predecessor). The poet is saying that the very conditions of life in the twentieth century can (and
do) kill people. Noise, pollution, overcrowding, mechanization, mass political movements, rapid
communications--all of these are killers.
The poet could have mentioned some of the benefits and conveniences of modern life, but he doesn't. That's
because he is a pessimist, at least in this poem.
2..First, I find "Five Ways to Kill a Man" a particularly powerful poem. The author provides a timeline of killing
methods starting with the crucifixion of Christ through the end of the World War II.
The imagery and allusions make the poem particularly effective.
In terms of the poem's tone, I feel there is no question that the author is extremely pessimistic. Even as he
describes the advancement in weaponry over many years, the sad truth is that nothing is needed to "neatly"
dispose of mankind. The advancements within society, and the behavior of mankind guarantee, at least in the
poet's mind, that human beings will find a way to kill themselves without any outside help.
It is sad to note that in a time when technological and medical discoveries make it possible to heal damaged
bodies and fight diseases, mankind cannot work with these advancements, and must cause harm to itself and
other human beings in the process.
Einstein said it best: "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."