Ogden Nash

The Ant

The Ant - meaning Summary

Work Ethic with a Sting

This short comic poem questions conventional praise of industriousness by pointing out the ant’s productivity stems from its chemistry. Nash notes the ant is "illustrious" for constant industry, then undercuts moral admiration with a punchline: its behavior may be driven by formic acid. The poem invites readers to rethink virtues as possibly biological or automatic rather than freely chosen, using wit to deflate sentimental judgments.

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The ant has made herself illustrious By constant industry industrious. So what? Would you be calm and placid If you were full of formic acid?

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