# Thanksgiving explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A superintendent of an almshouse confronts a pauper who refuses to partake in the Thanksgiving feast. The pauper explains his inability to eat due to lack of teeth and his inability to dance due to lost legs, lamenting his misfortunes. The superintendent insists on gratitude for broader mercies, such as spared disasters and war abroad, dismissing the pauper's personal grievances.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The superintendent's call for gratitude contrasts sharply with the pauper's genuine suffering, highlighting the hypocrisy of enforced thankfulness.

### Mortality and Regret

The pauper's reflections on lost limbs and inability to enjoy life underscore themes of physical decay and regret.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The pauper who refuses the Thanksgiving bird and laments his physical disabilities.

### The Master

The superintendent of the almshouse who urges gratitude and attendance at church.

## Key lines

> I have no teeth and I will eat no bird.

The pauper refuses the turkey because he lacks teeth to chew it.

_Highlights the pauper's physical limitation as a reason for ingratitude._

> Lacking my legs I could not prosecute / With any good advantage a pursuit;

Without legs, the pauper cannot engage in any activity effectively.

_Emphasizes the pauper's helplessness and loss of agency._

> Your private woes look mighty small—to me.

The superintendent dismisses the pauper's personal suffering as insignificant compared to larger events.

_Illustrates the superintendent's lack of empathy and the theme of hypocrisy._

## Links

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