# CCXIV explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief reflection on the spherical nature of the world and the landowner's smugness regarding the sea.

## Key lines

> The world was made a sphere in order that men should not push one another off, but the landowner smiles when he thinks of the sea.

The earth was shaped as a sphere so that people wouldn't fall off its edges, yet the landowner is pleased because the sea prevents others from encroaching on his property.

_This passage contrasts the intended unity of a spherical world with the landowner's selfish relief that the ocean acts as a natural barrier._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/ccxiv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters