# CXLVI explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief satirical commentary on the necessity of laughing at a rich man's wit and accepting his word in order to prosper, equating dissent with anarchy and framing prosperity as the foundation of the state.

## Themes in this chapter

### Political Satire

The chapter satirizes the sycophantic deference required toward the wealthy, suggesting that prosperity depends on unquestioning compliance.

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

Highlights the hypocrisy of a system where one must laugh at a rich man's wit and accept his word to prosper, implying corruption in social and economic hierarchies.

## Key lines

> If thou wilt not laugh at a rich man’s wit thou art an anarchist, and if thou take not his word thou shalt take nothing that he hath.

If you refuse to laugh at a wealthy person's jokes, you are labeled a rebel, and if you do not accept what they say, you will receive none of their possessions.

_Condemns the social pressure to flatter the rich as a condition for gaining their favor._

> Make haste, therefore, to be civil to thy betters, and so prosper, for prosperity is the foundation of the state.

So hurry to be polite to those above you, and thus succeed, because wealth and success are the basis of society.

_Ironically urges immediate deference to the wealthy as the path to personal and societal stability._

## Links

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