# An "Exhibit" explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

The narrator expresses outrage at the public display of a condemned assassin, Goldenson, as a spectacle for profit and entertainment. The poem criticizes the sheriff and the press for exploiting the execution for sensationalism, questioning the morality of turning a criminal's punishment into a public exhibition.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The poem criticizes the sheriff and press for corruptly exploiting a condemned man's execution for public spectacle and profit.

### Justice and Revenge

The narrator questions the justice of making a public exhibit of an assassin, suggesting it mocks true justice.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator expresses personal shame and rage at the public exhibition of an execution.

## Key lines

> What! shall a wretch condemned to die In shame upon the gibbet Be set before the public eye As an "exhibit"?

Should a condemned criminal be publicly displayed as a spectacle?

_The narrator questions the morality of turning an execution into a public exhibition._

> How long, O Lord, shall Law and Right Be mocked for gain or glory, And angels weep as they recite The shameful story?

How long will justice be perverted for profit and fame, causing even angels to mourn?

_The narrator laments the corruption of law and morality for sensationalism._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/an-exhibit
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters