Epigram: the World Is a Bundle of Hay

Epigram: the World Is a Bundle of Hay - form Summary

Epigrammatic Satirical Squeeze

This short epigram uses tight, economical lines to deliver a satirical judgment: the world is reduced to a bundle of hay and humanity to stubborn beasts pulling it in opposing directions. The final jab names John Bull, a conventional personification of England, as the dominant tugger. As an epigram, the poem’s form concentrates wit and social critique into a single ironic, memorable image.