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In the book In Cold Blood, Truman Capote used the first four lines of the poem “Ballad of the Hanged Men”. I believe that he does this as a way to tell the reader how he feels about the book. Truman Capote also does this as a way to set the tone for the rest of the book and it also gives the reader something to think about before and while reading the book. The poem “Ballad of the Hanged Men” was written by Francois Villon. He wrote the poem while in prison awaiting execution. In the poem Villon acts as though he were already executed and asking for forgiveness from his peers. In January of 1463 his sentence was changed from execution to exile from Paris, the events after this point in his life are unknown. The poem “Ballad of the Hanged Men” is about souls who are watching their bodies being displayed after a public execution. Villon is also imagining his soul trapped in a dead body but does not want to guess his soul's destination, his only hope will be God’s forgiveness. The v