# CXCVIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief meditation on how an old man, perceived as bald and bent in life, reveals his true dignity in the presence of Death by uncovering and bowing.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Regret

The chapter reflects on the confrontation with Death and the dignity it evokes.

## Character check-ins

### Death

Death is the presence before whom the old man uncovers and bows.

## Key lines

> You would say of that old man: 'He is bald and bent.' No; in the presence of Death he uncovers and bows.

One might describe the old man as bald and stooped, but when facing Death, he removes his hat and bows with respect.

_The contrast between mundane perception and the solemnity of mortality._

## Links

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