Man, the Man-hunter
Man, the Man-hunter - meaning Summary
Predatory Violence and Complicity
The poem portrays a collective, predatory violence in which a figure called "Man, the man-hunter" and an approving crowd pursue and execute a victim. Sandburg uses hunting imagery—torches, kerosene, guns, ropes—to show organized cruelty and mob mentality. The poem culminates in the charred remains and the taunting claim "Well, we got him," exposing how violence becomes spectacle and how a community legitimizes its brutality and complicity.
Read Complete AnalysesI SAW Man, the man-hunter, Hunting with a torch in one hand And a kerosene can in the other, Hunting with guns, ropes, shackles. I listened And the high cry rang, The high cry of Man, the man-hunter: We'll get you yet, you sbxyzch! I listened later. The high cry rang: Kill him! kill him! the sbxyzch! In the morning the sun saw Two butts of something, a smoking rump, And a warning in charred wood: Well, we got him, the sbxyzch.
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