LANGUAGE ARTS POETRY PRESENTATION BY: CHRIS CHASE

The Execution On the night of the execution a man at the door mistook me for the coroner. “Press,” I said But he didn’t understand. He led me into the wrong room where the sheriff greeted me: “You’re late, padre.” “You’re wrong,” I told him. “I’m Press.” “Yes, of course, Reverend Press.” We went down the stairway. “Ah, Mr. Ellis,” said the Deputy. “Press!” I shouted. But he shoved me through a black curtain. The lights were so bright I couldn’t see the faces of the men sitting opposite. But, thank God, I thought they can see me! “Look!” I cried. “Look at my face! Doesn’t anybody know me?” Then a hood covered my head. “Don’t make it harder for us,” the hangman whispered.

Poems Meaning The meaning of this poem is that you should always check and make sure that you have the right person to get hung because if you have the wrong person you might hang an innocent person and let the guilty person go free.

Poem Critique I think the poet wants the readers to feel sorry for this guy because he is about to die when he didn’t do anything and when he tries to tell the sheriff and his deputy but they don’t believe him and so he dies and the real criminal gets away home free. Right before he dies the hangman whispered don’t make it harder for us. “On the night of the execution a man at the door mistook me for the coroner.” The mood of this poem from the beginning is sad because he is going to die. I dislike this poem because it is a sad poem and I don’t like poems to begin with and I really don’t like sad poems. I chose to present this in class because I wanted everybody to feel the same way as I did when I read it.

Questions What is the theme/meaning of the poem to you? What is the mood of the poem to you? Do you think the author did a good job with righting the poem? Why or Why not? Do you like the poem? Why or Why not? Do you think this poem is appropriate for all ages?