# CLIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief reflection on ignorance, distinguishing between inevitable ignorance, which is excusable and potentially beneficial, and the affectation of ignorance, which reveals genuine foolishness.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

The chapter warns against feigning ignorance, which is a form of self-deception that reveals one's true lack of wisdom.

## Key lines

> Ignorance when inevitable is excusable. It may be harmless, even beneficial; but it is charming only to the unwise. To affect a spurious ignorance is to disclose a genuine.

Unavoidable ignorance can be forgiven and may even be harmless or useful, but it is appealing only to the foolish. Pretending to be ignorant when you are not only shows your true ignorance.

_The chapter's entire content is a single aphorism on the nature of ignorance._

## Links

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