Natural History

Natural History
E.B. White


The spider, dropping down from twig,
Unfolds a plan of her devising,
A thin premeditated rig
To use in rising.

And all that journey down through space,
In cool descent and loyal hearted,
She spins a ladder to the place
From where she started.

Thus I, gone forth as spiders do
In spider's web a truth discerning,
Attach one silken thread to you
For my returning.


This letter (in the form of a poem) was written to "Katherine" from the "King Edward Hotel, Toronto". I'm not sure what that means, but the fact that it's a letter shows some significance. It means that these two people were communicating with one another, most likely on good terms. I would even go as far to say that they were lovers. There is an overall sound to the poem which makes it seem like that, such as "attach one silken thread to you for my returning". This sets the poems tone and automatically makes it come across as a love poem.

An effective strategy that E.B. White characterizes the spider as a woman. This is a metaphor to human life, as it is the woman who is stereotyped to stay at home while the man goes out and does his thing. It also shows how a spider, or woman, can be conniving. They seem harmless but trap you in their web. This poem shows a feminist view, but from a male narrarator. This is powerful because it is a view that is sometimes neglected but showing it from the oppositions view point in a positive manner makes it work really well and unique.