The Praying Mantis

The Praying Mantis - meaning Summary

Comic Fear of the Mantis

Nash treats the praying mantis as an uncanny figure that prompts both amusement and unease. He playfully questions its origin—"outer space" or "lost Atlantis"—and highlights the contrast between its saintly posture and its carnivorous nature. The poem compresses a comic, slightly sinister portrait into a few brisk lines, using irony to turn apparent piety into a source of mild alarm.