# IV explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief philosophical reflection on how different beings conceive of the divine, suggesting that a donkey would imagine God with long ears and a tail, while humans conceive of God as resembling a man.

## Key lines

> Asked to describe the Deity, a donkey would represent him with long ears and a tail. Man’s conception is higher and truer: he thinks of him as somewhat resembling a man.

If a donkey were asked to picture God, it would imagine him with long ears and a tail. Humans, however, have a more elevated view: they imagine God as being like a man.

_The narrator uses this analogy to comment on anthropomorphism in religious thought._

## Links

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