Pitchfork

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Pitchfork

A pitchfork is an agricultural tool

Tool

A broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other....
with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tine

Tine

Tine may have one of the following meanings:*Tine – a 'prong' on a fork or similar implement, or any similar structure*Tine – the biggest dairy producer in Norway...
s (also called prongs) used to lift and pitch (throw) loose material, such as hay

Hay

Hay is a generic term for Poaceae or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, domestic goat, and sheep....
, leaves

Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
, grape

Grape

File:Table grapes on white.jpgA grape is the non-Climacteric #In_botany fruit that grows on the Perennial plant and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis....
s, dung

Dung

Dung may refer to:* Dung, animal feces* Dung, Doubs, a commune in the Doubs department in France* Mundungus Fletcher , a character in Harry Potter...
or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have from two to six tines with different lengths and spacing depending on purpose.

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Encyclopedia

A pitchfork is an agricultural tool

Tool

Tine

Hay

Leaf

Grape

File:Table grapes on white.jpgA grape is the non-Climacteric #In_botany fruit that grows on the Perennial plant and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis....
s, dung

Dung

Steel

Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.14% by weight , depending on grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten....
with a long wooden handle, but may also be made from wood, wrought iron

Wrought iron

Wrought iron is commercially pure iron. In contrast to steel, it has a very low carbon content. It is a fibrous material due to the slag Inclusion ....
, bamboo

Bamboo

The bamboos are a group of woody perennial plant evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae....
, alloy

Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
etc. In some parts of England

England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
a pitchfork is known as a prong. The pitchfork is similar to the shorter and sturdier garden fork

Garden fork

A garden fork, spading fork, digging fork or graip is a gardening implement, with a handle and several short, sturdy Tine s....
.

The pitchfork has frequently been used as a weapon

Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply or threaten to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack or defense in combat, subduing enemy personnel, or to destroy enemy weapons, equipment and defensive structures....
by those who couldn't afford or didn't have access to more expensive weapons such as sword

Sword

A sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. The word sword comes from the Old English language wikt:sweord, cognate to Old High German swert, Middle Dutch swaert, Old Norse sver? Old Frisian and Old Saxon swerd and Dutch langua...
s, or, later, gun

GUN

Gun is a Revisionist Western-themed video game developed by Neversoft. It was published by Activision for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2....
s. As a result, pitchforks are stereotypically carried by angry mob

Crowd

A crowd is a group . The crowd may have a common purpose or set of emotions, such as at a Demonstration , at a sports game, or during looting, or simply be made up of many people going about their business in a busy area ....
s or gangs of enraged peasants.

In Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, the pitchfork was first used in the early Middle Ages

Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, at about the same time as the harrow

Harrow (tool)

In agriculture, a set of harrows is an implement for cultivating the surface of the soil. In this way it is distinct in its effect from the plough, which is used for deeper cultivation....
. The pitchfork was originally made entirely of wood; today, the tines are usually made of hard metal.

Symbolism, literary and artistic references

Artistic usage

Arguably the most notable American artistic display of the pitchfork is in American Gothic
American Gothic

American Gothic is a painting by Grant Wood from 1930. Portraying a pitchfork-holding farmer and a younger woman, in front of a house of Carpenter Gothic style, it is one of the most familiar images in 20th century American art and has achieved an iconic status in mainstream culture as one of the modern world's most recognizable images an...
, the painting by Grant Wood

Grant Wood

Grant DeVolson Wood was an United States Painting, born in Anamosa, Iowa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century....
. In this painting it symbolizes hand labor. Less famous are paintings by various artists which depict a wide variety of pitchforks and other tools in use and at rest.

Political usage

Because of its association with peasantry, the pitchfork is often a populist symbol and part of the nickname of populist leaders, thus:

"Pitchfork Ben" (Benjamin Tillman
Benjamin Tillman

Benjamin Ryan Tillman was an United States politician who served as governor of South Carolina, from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senate, from 1895 until his death....
)
"Pitchfork Pat" (Pat Buchanan
Pat Buchanan

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an United States political commentator, author, print syndication columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior advisor to American presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire ....
)

The Gangster Disciples, a street gang in the midwestern United States, use a three-pointed pitchfork

Gangster Disciples

The Black Gangster Disciple Nation was formed on the South-side of Chicago in the late 1960s, by David Barksdale, leader of the Gonzanto Disciples, and Larry Hoover, leader of the Supreme Disciples....
as one of their symbols.

Religious symbolism

The pitchfork is often used in satire

Satire

Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre; although, in practice, it is also found in the graphic arts and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, ideally with the intent to bring about improv...
of Christian demonology in popular media, especially in early humorous cartoons where a popular joke was a caricature

Caricature

A caricature is either a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness, or in literature, a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others....
of an angel

Ángel

?ngel is the third single from Belinda Peregr?n's debut album: Belinda. It was a massive hit in Mexico and an international hit for Belinda....
and a pitchfork-wielding devil

Devil

The Devil is the title given to the supernatural being, who, in mainstream Christianity, Islam, and some other religions, is believed to be a powerful, evil entity and the tempter of humankind....
sitting on the shoulders of the protagonist. More seriously, it bears a resemblance to the trident

Trident

A trident , also called a leister or gig, is a three-tine spear. It is used for spear fishing and was formerly also a military weapon....
of the Greek

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
god Poseidon

Poseidon

In Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea and, as "Earth-Shaker," of earthquakes. The name of the god Nethuns in Etruscan mythology was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon....
and the Hindu god Shiva

Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
.

Pitchfork

Symbolism, literary and artistic references

Artistic usage

Political usage

Religious symbolism

See also