This was another one of the poems that I enjoyed from this section because I could understand almost all of it. The poem is literally explaining a "panther" that is held as a prisoner behind bars, like at a zoo. It "paces in cramped circles, over and over" because there is nothing else to do. I think that the image of the panther was used instead of a lion because a panther is warlike and a lion is too powerful for this imagery. The "powerful soft strides" hint that the animal cannot be too powerful, but it must be seen as strong in some way.
I really think that this poem has nothing to do with a panther but with a prisoner on death row. The person is held behind bars and then put into shackles. The prisoner appears calm and strong during all of this, but inside he or she is weak. At the end, the prisoner gets the injection, and it rushes through the person's body. It stops his or her heart, and the prisoner dies.
No comments:
Post a Comment