Like a lot of other people, I was really torn over Dylan Thomas. I wish I would have been in class last Wednesday to go over some of the poetic techniques that Thomas used as I think it would have made me better appreciate a lot of the poems. One of the poems that I did enjoy at face value was "The Hand That Signed the Paper." I think that though it is describing the acts done by kings, it can be applied to today's presidents and prime ministers as well.
Stanza number one shows the destruction that can be brought about by simply signing a document. Cities can fall, people can be taxed, populations can be cut in half, and leaders and be assassinated. Signatures can often bring about all of these dramatic and devastating consequences.
The second stanza seems to imply that though the hand that signs the paper has an almost infinite amount of power, the person behind it is still human. This hand can lead to a sloping shoulder and be cramped with old age just like any other hand. Why should a hand like any other hand wield such immense power?
I think that the final stanza talks about the almost impersonal nature of our leaders. "The five kings count the dead but do not soften/The crusted wound nor stroke the brow." They are not able to truly help their people. Also, they cannot feel for the people they control. The last line reinforces this idea: "Hands have no tears to flow."
I feel like the poem, as a whole, is a powerful commentary on politics.
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