Torture will give a dozen pence or more To keep a drab from bawling at his door. The public taste is quite a different thing- Torture is positively paid to sing.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- It satirically suggests that torture is paid to keep people quiet, highlighting a perverse market for oppression.
- In plain terms
- Torture is paid to silence dissent.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware of systems that profit from fear.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What are the hidden costs of suppressing voices?
Another view
The line mixes humor with serious accusation, risking trivialization.
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