Final answer:
The Hangman poem explores the arrival of the Hangman in a town and the reaction of the people. The Hangman's use of the word 'serves' in line 5 refers to his duty or role. The townspeople gathering and witnessing the execution creates a sense of curiosity, fear, and the normalization of violence.
Step-by-step explanation:
In stanza 1 of the poem 'The Hangman,' the speaker describes the arrival of the Hangman in a town and the reaction of the townspeople. In line 5, the Hangman uses the term 'serves' to refer to carrying out his duty or performing his role as a hangman. The last two lines of stanza 1 foreshadow the dark fate that awaits the speaker and potentially the townspeople as well.
In stanza 2, the townspeople gather around the Hangman and witness the execution. The effect of their action is a sense of curiosity, fear, and the normalization of violence.
The two last lines of the third stanza can be interpreted as the speaker acknowledging their own impending execution with a resigned acceptance. The last line of the poem, 'And I hung quietly, like a ripe fruit,' suggests that the speaker has come to terms with their fate and is now passive, like a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked.
The poem follows an irregular rhyme pattern, with some end rhymes and partial rhymes throughout the stanzas.