The Objection to Being Stepped on
The Objection to Being Stepped on - meaning Summary
Small Insult, Larger Consequences
The poem recounts a brief, comic incident in which the speaker steps on the toe of a hoe and is struck in retaliation. The speaker blames the hoe and questions why a tool should not be turned into a weapon, observing how the instrument he first offended becomes an object of harm. In plain terms the poem explores misdirected blame, the human tendency to name and condemn after being hurt, and how objects or people can shift roles depending on who wields them. The tone is ironic and gently admonitory rather than bitter.
Read Complete AnalysesAt the end of the row I stepped on the toe Of an unemployed hoe. It rose in offense And struck me a blow In the seat of my sense. It wasn’t to blame But I called it a name. And I must say it dealt Me a blow that I felt Like a malice prepense. You may call me a fool, But was there a rule The weapon should be Turned into a tool? And what do we see? The first tool I step on Turned into a weapon.
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