Fame is a Fickle Food
Fame is a fickle food
Upon a shifting plate
Whose table once a Guest, but not
The second time is set,
Whose crumbs the crows inspect,
And with ironic caw
Flap past it to the farmer's corn
Men eat of it and die.
Upon a shifting plate
Whose table once a Guest, but not
The second time is set,
Whose crumbs the crows inspect,
And with ironic caw
Flap past it to the farmer's corn
Men eat of it and die.
Analysis
Emily refers to fame as food, an animate object so it can be understood more easily. Fame is not eternal or predictable; someone might experience it one day and not the next. The speaker equates fame to a fickle food because it is something that can transform people in an instant. The fact that the speaker also writes that the crow has an "ironic caw" and that he “flaps past the crumbs to the farmer's corn", shows that the crow, like fame, is fickle as well. People pay close attention and judge those who are famous based on the impression that they put forth. This to say, fame is unpredictable and unmanageable.
The second stanza could also be referring to actual crows and how they are intelligent enough to scrutinize fame before pursuing it. Also, when they know fame is not what it seems to be, that it is not worth it, they laugh and fly off to the farmer's corn. The crows decide to eat something that is nourishing. This poem implies that only humans are foolish enough to “eat” fame instead of something worthwhile. “Men eat of it and die” is the last line of the poem, which emphasizes how those who pursue fame do not benefit from it. People go after fame thinking that there are only profits to it; however, fame has its many downfalls.
The second stanza could also be referring to actual crows and how they are intelligent enough to scrutinize fame before pursuing it. Also, when they know fame is not what it seems to be, that it is not worth it, they laugh and fly off to the farmer's corn. The crows decide to eat something that is nourishing. This poem implies that only humans are foolish enough to “eat” fame instead of something worthwhile. “Men eat of it and die” is the last line of the poem, which emphasizes how those who pursue fame do not benefit from it. People go after fame thinking that there are only profits to it; however, fame has its many downfalls.