Barbed Wire Defence
We take a lot of inventions for granted and never stop to think about how they came about. Barbed wire is a case in point, although I do happen to know that the patent for the barbed wire we are familiar with today, was taken out in the US in 1874.
It was very popular amongst the cattle ranchers who wished to have an efficient way of keeping their herd in. Since then, it’s been put to use in a multitude of situations.
Anyone who has ever tried to climb over a fence made of barbed wire will testify to the difficulties. The only thing you can really do to overcome it is to cut thru it. All the parks authorities in my neighborhood, when I was a kid, put a roll of the wire along the tops of the park walls. That was to stop us kids breaking in after the park gates were shut.
That deterred us, there’s nothing worse than a cut from barbed wire. It doesn’t just cut thru the skin, it rips it too and it necessitates a tetanus shot.
Nothing says keep out quite like barbed wire. It’s a symbol of defense, it’s closest buddies being Alsatian dogs and searchlights. It makes you think of prison and military installations. It conjures up an image in a movie for me. The last scene of the original version of World War I film, All Quiet On The Western Front is very moving.
The main character, Paul has been wounded in battle and he lies dying in his trench. He sees a pretty butterfly just above him, fluttering on top of the barbed wire. It’s just out of reach, Paul stretches for it but falls back. He has died, and the butterfly on the wire is the last thing he sees.
It’s possible to just see this modern invention in a negative light. It represents ugliness and protectionism. On the other hand, when you think of its original purpose, barbed wire does keep livestock nice and safe. We don’t want cows wandering up and down the highway, after all. It also keeps thieves and vagabonds out of property and keeps them in prison. There is another movie image that springs to mind.
In the Great Escape, Steve McQueen is trying to get away on his motor cycle and ends up entangled in barbed wire. It even managed to stop him!

Posted December 31, 2006
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