Poetry · Chapter
Stanford's Welcome explained
A dying father questions his son about a crowd gathering to welcome a statesman.
What happens
A dying father questions his son about a crowd gathering to welcome a statesman. The son explains that the crowd is there to shake the statesman's hand and that the statesman is thanking them for allowing him to buy votes, which has made him powerful. The son then urges his father to die as it is getting late.
Themes in this chapter
Political Satire
The chapter mocks the corrupt relationship between wealthy statesmen and voters, where votes are bought and sold like commodities.
Hypocrisy and Corruption
The statesman's gratitude is hypocritical, as his power comes from buying votes, and the crowd's cheers are for a system built on bribery.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“By letting him buy, like apples or oats, With that which has made him so good, the votes Which make him so wise and grand and great.”
The crowd allowed the statesman to purchase votes with money, which in turn made him appear wise and powerful.
The son reveals the corrupt foundation of the statesman's success.
“Now, father, please die, for ’tis growing late.”
The son impatiently asks his dying father to hurry up and die because it is getting late.
The son's callousness underscores the chapter's darkly comic tone.