# Disavowal explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A poem depicting the aftermath of a violent event in Phoenix Park, where a Land League man, a Fenian, and Pat Satan each disavow any involvement in the deaths, crossing themselves and denying responsibility with hypocritical self-righteousness.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

Each figure denies involvement in the murders, highlighting moral hypocrisy.

### Deception and Self-Deception

The characters deceive themselves and others by claiming innocence despite the evidence.

## Character check-ins

### Pat Satan

Appears in the poem, comically crossing himself and disavowing the violent scene.

## Key lines

> Two bodies are lying in Phoenix Park, Grim and bloody and stiff and stark, And a Land League man with averted eye Crosses himself as he hurries by. And he says to his conscience under his breath: 'I have had no hand in this deed of death.'

Two dead bodies lie in Phoenix Park, and a Land League man looks away, crosses himself, and whispers to his conscience that he had no part in the killing.

_The Land League man's denial underscores the theme of disavowal._

> A Fenian, making a circuit wide And passing them by on the other side, Shudders and crosses himself and cries: 'Who says that I did it, he lies, he lies!'

A Fenian takes a wide detour, shudders, crosses himself, and loudly denies any involvement.

_The Fenian's vehement denial mirrors the Land League man's hypocrisy._

> Gingerly stepping across the gore, Pat Satan comes after the two before, Makes, in a solemnly comical way, The sign of the cross and is heard to say: 'O dear, what a terrible sight to see, For babes like them and a saint like me!'

Pat Satan carefully steps over the blood, makes a mock-serious sign of the cross, and laments the terrible sight, calling himself a saint.

_Pat Satan's comical self-righteousness satirizes the disavowals of the others._

## Links

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