Life — December 22, 1921 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Polyp With a Past" This is a humorous scientific essay by Robert C. Benchley about a polyp (a small marine organism) that unexpectedly displays emotional behavior—specifically, romantic attachment to itself and heartbreak. The illustrations show the polyp's form and a depicted scene of it viewing passing automobiles. The satire is gentle and whimsical rather than political: Benchley anthropomorphizes the polyp, attributing human emotions and vulnerabilities to a creature that "should" lack such capacities. The humor lies in treating this tiny, primitive organism with the emotional complexity of a human character—it becomes melancholic, falls in love with itself, experiences jealousy, and ultimately dies of heartbreak during a trip to Europe. This reflects Benchley's characteristic style: using scientific subjects as vehicles for absurdist comedy and social commentary about human nature.