The famous
children's poem "The Spider and the Fly" tells of a predatory spider's attempts to
beguile a naive and vain fly. The spider tries several approaches. First, he tempts the fly by
inviting her to his pretty parlor that's up a winding stair, but she quickly turns down this
invitation. He tries to offer her a comfortable bed, a snack to eat, and a chance to gaze at
herself in a looking glass, but she refuses all these lures. The cunning spider prepares the web
anyway, and he finally gets her within trapping distance by flattering her. She is caught and
consumed, and the poet warns children to beware of "silly flattering words" from an
"evil counselor."
This poem reflects relevant trends of vanity and
predation in today's society. Firstly, many people are extremely caught up in their appearances.
They are vain about how they look and purchase products that claim to improve their beauty. As
we read in the poem, this makes them more susceptible to flattery from evil people. The news
frequently has stories about victims lured to follow seductive strangers through flattery.
Perhaps if these gullible people had been more attentive, they could have avoided the danger to
which they exposed themselves.
To sum up, although the moral of the poem is
universal and relevant to any time period, it certainly reflects current trends of pervasive
vanity in society and an abundance of people eager to take advantage of and prey upon the vanity
of others.
Really helpful! Thank you!
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