John Barleycorn makes his appeal to weakness and failure, to weariness and exhaustion.

He is the easy way out.

And he is lying all the time.

He offers false strength to the body, false elevation to the spirit, making things seem what they are not and vastly fairer than what they are.
But it must not be forgotten that John Barleycorn is protean.

As well as to weakness and exhaustion, does he appeal to too much strength, to superabundant vitality, to the ennui of idleness.