Poetry · Chapter
Aspiration explained
The chapter opens with the assertion that no man can truthfully deny a desire for the presidency, quoting William C.
What happens
The chapter opens with the assertion that no man can truthfully deny a desire for the presidency, quoting William C. Whitney. It then presents a satirical poem about a rabbit that admires a donkey's long ears, suggesting that every creature secretly wishes to be like something greater, mocking the nature of aspiration and self-deception.
Themes in this chapter
Political Satire
The chapter opens with a quote about the presidency and uses a fable-like poem to satirize the universal desire for power and status, mocking the pretensions of ambition.
Deception and Self-Deception
The rabbit's admiration for the donkey's ears symbolizes self-deception, as it projects its own desires onto a perceived superior, reflecting how individuals delude themselves about their own aspirations.
Key passages
“No man can truthfully say that he would not like to be President.”
Everyone secretly desires the highest office, even if they deny it.
Sets up the theme of universal ambition and hypocrisy.
“Lo! the wild rabbit, happy in the pride Of qualities to meaner beasts denied, Surveys the ass with reverence and fear, Adoring his superior length of ear, And says: 'No living creature, lean or fat, But wishes in his heart to be like That!'”
A rabbit, proud of its own traits, looks up to a donkey with awe, envying its long ears, and concludes that every creature secretly wants to be something else.
Satirical poem illustrating the folly of aspiration and the tendency to covet others' attributes.