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Reader question: Please explain this sentence: “There’s always competition, no matter what your position in the food chain is.” My comments: “Your position in the food chain” refers to your social position, either in your office or the wider world at large, a society for poets, for example. Here, food chain is a metaphor. And because food chain is descriptive of the hierarchical system in which animals and plants eat their food or are eaten as food, “your position in the food chain” also denotes whether your position is high or low. First, food chain in the original sense. Rabbits eat plants, and therefore they are considered to be in a higher position than the plants they eat in the food chain. On the other hand, rabbits are hunted by foxes and therefore foxes are even higher up in the food chain. This is a simple example, but you get the idea. Food chain, in fact, involves all plants and animals in the ecosystem. “Chain” suggests it’s an unbroken link, meaning all plants and animals in the ecosystem as a whole are interdependent. In our top example, food chain as a metaphor points to your particular position in the social hierarchy. And while animals higher up in the food chain gets more opportunities to choose their food, one’s higher social position also allows one to get their hands on things first – in terms of getting their fair share of food and other resources. | 
