History
Explain why the artist has portrayed the nobleman as the spider and the peasant as the fly.
French Revolution
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Answer
The portrayal of the nobleman as the spider and the peasant as the fly is a symbolic depiction of the oppression and exploitation that the peasants faced at the hands of noblemen. Just as a spider catches and consumes flies, the nobleman are depicted as exploiting the peasant for his own gain. This portrayal serves as a critique of the aristocracy's treatment of the lower classes, highlighting the inequality and injustice inherent in the feudal or hierarchical societal structure.
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Related Questions
Fill in the blank boxes in Fig. 4 with appropriate terms from among the following:
Food riots, scarcity of grain, increased number of deaths, rising food prices, weaker bodies. 
What message is Young trying to convey here? Whom does he mean when he speaks of ‘slaves’? Who is he criticising? What dangers does he sense in the situation of 1787?
Source A
Accounts of lived experiences in the Old Regime
- Georges Danton, who later became active in revolutionary politics, wrote to a friend in 1793, looking back upon the time when he had just completed his studies:
‘I was educated in the residential college of Plessis. There I was in the company of important men … Once my studies ended, I was left with nothing. I started looking for a post. It was impossible to find one at the law courts in Paris. The choice of a career in the army was not open to me as I was not a noble by birth, nor did I have a patron. The church too could not offer me a refuge. I could not buy an office as I did not possess a sou. My old friends turned their backs to me … the system had provided us with an education without however offering a field where our talents could be utilised.’ - An Englishman, Arthur Young, travelled through France during the years from 1787 to 1789 and wrote detailed descriptions of his journeys. He often commented on what he saw.
‘He who decides to be served and waited upon by slaves, ill-treated slaves at that, must be fully aware that by doing so he is placing his property and his life in a situation which is very different from that he would be in, had he chosen the services of free and welltreated men. And he who chooses to dine to the accompaniment of his victims’ groans, should not complain if during a riot his daughter gets kidnapped or his son’s throat is slit.’
- Georges Danton, who later became active in revolutionary politics, wrote to a friend in 1793, looking back upon the time when he had just completed his studies:
Representatives of the Third Estate take the oath raising their arms in the direction of Bailly, the President of the Assembly, standing on a table in the centre. Do you think that during the actual event Bailly would have stood with his back to the assembled deputies? What could have been David’s intention in placing Bailly the way he has done?
Identify the symbols in Box 1 which stand for liberty, equality and fraternity.
