# why is a raven like a writting desk ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575 "2006-02-22T03:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bullyfoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bullyfoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullyfoot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/1 "2006-02-22T03:12:41Z")
why is a raven like a writting desk ? Because both having a pen put upon them, create escapist thoughts. A raven is an extremely intelligent animal, able to think outside the box. A writting desk is open to a world created by thought. A pen of either meaning, can instill thoughts of escape. Like the references of other thought altering tools, in “Alice in wonderland”, a pen can alter the mind of a free soul trapped inside. Bullyfoot. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/2 "2006-02-22T03:14:09Z")
Poe wrote on both. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/3 "2006-02-22T03:29:29Z")
Considering the typo, I think the more interesting question would be “Why is a raven like a Wittig reaction?” but I guess the comparison would only be valid if Caroll (or Poe) was hopped up on some phosphorous-containing compound. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/4 "2006-02-22T03:47:29Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** Moving to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/5 "2006-02-22T03:52:52Z")
Both have inky quills. Because there is an o in both, and an h in neither. Them’s my favorite answers. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/6 "2006-02-22T03:52:54Z")
“The higher the fewer, of course! Have another cup of tea!” or Because there’s a ‘b’ in both, and because there’s an ‘n’ in neither. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/7 "2006-02-22T03:54:03Z")
> [@XaMcQ](#): > > "because there’s an ‘n’ in neither. :smack: this is, of course, correct–it’s late and I got things backwards. It’s pretty bad when even your illogic doesn’t make any sense. Daniel off to bed ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/8 "2006-02-22T04:23:05Z")
Both can fly, except fot the writing desk. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/9 "2006-02-22T13:56:16Z")
The Master speaks: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_266.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_266.html) My own answer: Both will hold very still after you drive a nail through them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/10 "2006-02-22T19:44:35Z")
Neither one won the Super Bowl? ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/11 "2006-02-22T20:18:32Z")
They are two things that have never been in my kitchen? ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/12 "2006-02-22T23:11:39Z")
They both make good kindlin’. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writting-desk/345575/13 "2006-02-23T04:52:28Z")
Because one of its legs are both the same.