Elise\’s Blog

Arthur Guiterman “On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness”- title: taking things for granted

The tusks which clashed in mighty brawls
Of mastodons, are billiard balls.
–> elephant tusks are now pool balls–> ivory
The sword of Charlemagne the Just
Is Ferric Oxide, known as rust.
–> sword that is supposed to have symbolic meaning is just rusty iron
The grizzly bear, whose potent hug,
Was feared by all, is now a rug.
–> grizzly that was once feared is now simply decoration
Great Caesar’s bust is on the shelf,–> caesar dressing?
And I don’t feel so well myself.
–> author angry at present day economy–> no respect for history or creatures
main message: things are not what they appear because economy twists them into materialized objects from what they really are