."When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck before you crush him." -- Franklin D.Roosevelt

This saying reminds me a lot of the story that has those characters by the name of "Delia" and "Sykes," they are a married couple, but he doesn't treat her with respect. He has very little compassion for her as a human being. In this story, Delia did wait for the snake to strike. I guess she felt she needed to be a submissive woman. It is difficult to get out of an abusive situation. I think that an abusive man can be identified as a "rattlesnake." It depends on what mind-set the abuser has, but many abusers do like going as far as "striking with venom," metaphorically speaking. Many of these abusive/ rattlesnake-like people do not want to seek for help. Many of these abusive/rattlesnake-like people are shrewd. Their crippling behavior usually gets the best of them. I think that people should not wait until the snake has stricken before you crush him. It is what the Bible teaches.