The Third of May

This painting has always been one that stood out to me personally. We can clearly see in the faces of the men about to be shot, especially the man in the white shirt, the pain, anguish, and desperation of these men who know that they are about to die. This painting makes me mad in the sense that the men waiting to die, have no choice in what is about to happen to them while the soldiers on the right of the painting are emotionless and are mindlessly killing under Napoleon's rule. It shows the flagrant abuse of power by Napoleon and his soldiers. "Anthem for Doomed Youth" is a poem written by Wilfred Edward Salter Owen in regard to The Third of May. In his poem, Wilfred talks of the people who are dying like cattle. These people are obviously the Spanish citizens on the left of the painting and in lighter colors. He also speaks of the, "...stuttering rifles'rapid rattle," and how there will be no mourning for these men who are about to die. Owen writes of the tears in boys' eyes of saying their final goodbyes. This painting is a great example of what can happen when one person takes charge and attempts to push their views on other people. It shows what happens when we allow people to gain too much control. They abuse their power and use it to mutilate and torture people for their differences.