She specifically mentions certain body parts, immediately humanizing the prisoner without giving the reader any real defining characteristics. The knee, elbow, face and hand are all universally recognizable human features, though each part is also vulnerable and exposed. Hands can be wounded, faces can be bruised, elbows and knees shattered. The reader is given no information regarding his physical health, though already they paint a picture in their minds of a broken man. .
"He turned his thoughts to future times Or are they backward cast? For freedom is he pining now Or mourning for the past?" From here we are given our first glimpse at the man's perspective, though already the reader is made to feel like an outsider. The ambiguity of whether he is pining for his freedom or mourning his past immediately makes it clear that we are observing the prisoner, though we are left in the dark about his true thoughts; giving them greater mystery. The second stanza continues the theme of humanization, though at this point our empathy begins to turn to pity as Brontë begins exploring the depths of his victimhood. "No, he has lived so long enthralled Alone in dungeon gloom That he has lost regret and hope He ceased to mourn his doom." Here the poem begins to adopt a melancholic tone, specifically mentioning his extended period of incarceration, isolation and loss of the ability to regret and hope. By accepting that he will die in the dungeon, the prisoner has essentially lost the will to live. To the reader, the thought of being in such a mindset is both tragic and discomforting, emphasizing the shift from empathy to pity because the prisoner's perspective is so unrecognizable. .
The third stanza continues the theme established in the second, though it begins evoking imagery of a place beyond the prison walls. Brontë specifically mentions freedom and the light of day in contrast to the dark, understated atmosphere of the dungeon.
