Life — June 5, 1919 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page contains two unrelated items: poetry and advertising. **"Last Year's Straw"** is a nostalgic poem about a worn straw hat—its brim torn, crown crushed, bearing marks of use (a baseball, cigarette burn, hole from a cane). The poem reflects on memories associated with the hat's deterioration, expressing bittersweet attachment to an object that has "seen it all." **"Life's Little Ironies"** is a brief philosophical note about "luck" and merit. The dominant content is a **Foster Rubber Company advertisement** for "Cat's Paw Cushion Rubber Heels." The ad features an illustration of a roofer precariously perched on a building ledge, arguing that leather heels are unsafe—only Cat's Paw rubber heels with their "Friction Plug" provide security and prevent slipping on wet pavements. It's a practical safety pitch targeting workers.