The poem places a searing spotlight on the swift judgments expressed by those who are ignorantly out of touch with the very reasons such riots occur in the first place. Satirizing the bigoted naivete of people like John Cabot, who are so egotistical that they see themselves as martyrs. The poem's theme centers on the ability of the privileged to twist such a desperate expression of anger and frustration like a riot into a situation that makes them the victim.