Life — September 16, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page This page contains literary content and illustration rather than political satire. The top section reproduces "A Ouijagram from O. Khayyam"—verses attributed to Omar Khayyam (the medieval Persian poet) combined with commentary by John Kendrick Bangs. The poem expresses contentment with simple pleasures (wine, companionship) despite life's hardships, while mocking Prohibition and Russian communist upheaval ("No Bolshevik uprears his shaggy poll"). The lower illustration titled "At the Reading of the Nine-Year-Old" depicts two adults observing a child's precocious behavior, with a caption about the child's "back to the farm" notion. This appears to be humorous commentary on childhood pretension rather than political satire.