Read these lines from the poem. a thousand martyrs i have made, all sacrificed to my desire; what effect does the image of "a thousand martyrs" have on the meaning of the poem? it evokes the suffering of people who suffer physical pain for their beliefs. it stresses that martyrdom has often been considered a positive and virtuous state. it asks that the reader feel sympathy for the speaker. it reminds the reader of the martyrs of roman times.