# CXCV explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A mutual hatred arises between two individuals: she resents him for revealing the truth about her lark being a crow, and he resents her for freeing his inner beast.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

The revelation that her lark was a crow exposes a self-deception or pretense, leading to hatred.

### Nature and Artifice

The contrast between the artificial lark and the natural crow, and the caged beast versus its release, highlights the tension between artifice and raw nature.

## Key lines

> She hated him because he discovered that her lark was a crow.

She despised him for uncovering that what she presented as beautiful and pure was actually something common and deceptive.

_The hatred stems from the exposure of a falsehood or idealized self-image._

> He hated her because she unlocked the cage of his beast.

He resented her for releasing the primal, uncontrollable part of his nature that he had kept confined.

_The hatred arises from the liberation of his inner savagery or repressed instincts._

## Links

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