Question

In the poem Warren Pryor by Alden Nowlan, it says "his axe-hewn hands upon the paper bills aching with empty strength and throttled rage."

I understand that it means that he wanted to work on the farm instead of in the bank, but could someone explain the "aching with empty strenth and throttled rage" bit to me? What does throttled mean anyway? I check the webdictionary, but i still don't understand.

TIA

Answer 1

"Aching with empty strength" means that his large muscles ached because they weren't being used. "Throttled" means that his rage was suffocated or silenced. He bottled in his rage and didn't let it show.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/throttle

Answer 2

Ohh, okay i understand now! thanks for the quick response

Answer 3

You're welcome.