Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
Murder is unique in that it abolishes the party it injures, so that society has to take the place of the victim and on his behalf demand atonement or grant forgiveness; it is the one crime in which society has a direct interest.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Murder impacts not only the victim but also society, which seeks justice or forgiveness on behalf of the deceased.
In this quote, W. H. Auden reflects on the unique nature of murder as a crime that transcends the individual act of taking a life. Unlike other crimes, murder directly affects the social fabric, as it leaves a void that society must address, either through seeking punishment for the perpetrator or extending forgiveness to promote healing and resolution, thereby highlighting the collective responsibility towards victims and their families.
Themes
MurderSocietyJusticeForgivenessAtonement
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the legal system and societal responses to violent crimes.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes →That the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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