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Poetry · Chapter

J. P. Graver explained

A brief, whimsical poem about J.

What happens

A brief, whimsical poem about J. P. Graver, a manufacturer from Chicago, who shares a piscatorial philosophy with the narrator: if you wait patiently and a fish takes your bait, the fish is to blame for its own capture.

Themes in this chapter

  • Humor and Satire

    The poem uses a lighthearted, humorous tone to present a playful take on fishing and blame.

Characters to notice

Key passages

  • His idears and mine are the same In the great piscatorial game; If you sit still and wait, And a fish finds you bait, The fish is entirely to blame.

    We share the same view on fishing: if you wait quietly and a fish takes your bait, the fish is responsible for its own capture.

    Summarizes the shared fishing philosophy between the narrator and J. P. Graver.