# LXXX explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief, macabre poem describes a human pericardium displayed in a dissecting room, labeled with the word 'Charity' to instruct students on what it once enclosed.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The juxtaposition of a human heart's covering with the word 'Charity' in a dissecting room suggests a cynical commentary on the gap between noble ideals and grim reality.

## Key lines

> Artistically set to grace The wall of a dissecting-place, A human pericardium Was fastened with a bit of gum, While, simply underrunning it, The one word, 'Charity,' was writ To show the student band that hovered About it what it once had covered.

A human pericardium was displayed on a dissecting room wall, labeled 'Charity' to remind students of the organ it once enclosed.

_The poem uses the heart's membrane as a symbol for the hollow or ironic application of the word 'Charity.'_

## Links

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