--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They were in a trench sliding through a…" description: "\"“They were in a trench sliding through a forest of corn. Machine stood over the rows, black girders that arced in the sky like the proscenium above a s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/joe-hill-1162_computers_they-were-in-a-trench-sliding-through-a_2844046.png" --- # They were in a trench sliding through a forest of corn… ![“They were in a trench sliding through a forest of corn. Machine stood over the rows, black girders that arced in the sky like the proscenium above a stage. The thought occurred to Wayne that those machines were sprayers, full of poison. They would drench the corn in a lethal rain to keep it from…” quote by Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/joe-hill-1162_computers_they-were-in-a-trench-sliding-through-a_2844046.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/joe-hill-1162_computers_they-were-in-a-trench-sliding-through-a_2844046.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/joe-hill-1162_computers_they-were-in-a-trench-sliding-through-a_2844046.png) > ““They were in a trench sliding through a forest of corn. Machine stood over the rows, black girders that arced in the sky like the proscenium above a stage. The thought occurred to Wayne that those machines were sprayers, full of poison. They would drench the corn in a lethal rain to keep it from being eaten by invasive species. Those exact words - "invasive species" - rang through his brain. Later the corn would be lightly washed and people would eat it.”” [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator imagines machines spraying poison to protect corn, reflecting on invasive species and human manipulation. **In simple terms:** Imagined poison protects crops. Key Takeaway Question environmental interventions. Themes environment technology ethics Mood critical thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - agricultural policy - environmental activism - science fiction writing Key Concepts ecology human impact Questions to Reflect On - What ethical dilemmas arise from using chemicals in agriculture? - How does language shape our view of environmental threats? A Different Perspective Speculative, not factual. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Invasive Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invasive-species/) ## Related quotes > [The Ocean Health Index is like the thermometer of the ocean. It will allow us to take the temperature to know what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enric-sala/the-ocean-health-index-is-like-the-thermometer-of-the-ocean-it-will/) [Enric Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enric-sala/) > [“All of this weakened the G.O.P.’s foundation and opened the way for an invasive species such as Donald Trump to make deep inroads into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/all-of-this-weakened-the-g-o-p-s-foundation-and-opened-the-way-for-an/) [Thomas L. 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That's why he was in Fiji, studying the rhinoceros beetle invasive species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/my-dad-is-an-entomologist-and-research-chemist-that-s-why-he-was-in/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“Natural places are no different than human cities. The old exists next to the new. Invasive species integrate with or push out native species.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/natural-places-are-no-different-than-human-cities-the-old-exists-next/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“There’s actually a straightforward solution to invasive species: Eat ’em!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-durant/there-s-actually-a-straightforward-solution-to-invasive-species-eat-em/) [John Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-durant/) > [Aquatic invasive species are destroying the environment, damaging fisheries, and costing American taxpayers billions of dollars annually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-mchugh/aquatic-invasive-species-are-destroying-the-environment-damaging/) [John M. McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-mchugh/) > [“Love, she reflected bitterly, wasn't something you bargained with or negotiated with...it lived by its own rules. 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When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/my-father-kept-me-busy-from-dawn-to-dusk-when-i-was-a-kid-when-i-wasn/) [Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/) ## More by Joe Hill > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He had despised that Mary with her idiot smile, symbol of a story that meant nothing, servant of a God who no good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-despised-that-mary-with-her-idiot-smile-symbol-of-a-story-that/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. 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They formed armies, congresses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/they-came-to-believe-their-doctors-were-holding-back-limited/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He had his flaws - he'd voted for Reagan, he believed that Carl Weathers was a GREAT thespian, and he grew emotional listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-his-flaws-he-d-voted-for-reagan-he-believed-that-carl-weathers/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) [Explore all 278 Joe Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) ## More Computers quotes > [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/) [Charles A. 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The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/) Cruce Stark > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) [Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They were in a trench sliding through a forest of corn. Machine stood over the rows, black girders that arced in the sky like the proscenium above a stage. The thought occurred to Wayne that those machines were sprayers, full of poison. They would drench the corn in a lethal rain to keep it from being eaten by invasive species. Those exact words - \"invasive species\" - rang through his brain. 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