Unit IV: Eighteenth Century Poetry 4. Thomas Gray: "On a Favourite Cat Drowned in a tub of Goldfishes"

 Unit IV: Eighteenth Century Poetry 

4. Thomas Gray: "On a Favourite Cat Drowned in a tub of Goldfishes"

Two-mark Questions and Answers:

1. Q: Who is the author of "On a Favourite Cat Drowned in a tub of Goldfishes"?

   A: The author is Thomas Gray.

2. Q: What is the main subject of the poem?

   A: The main subject is a cat that drowns while trying to catch goldfish.

3. Q: What is the name of the cat in the poem?

   A: The cat's name is Selima.

4. Q: How many stanzas does the poem have?

   A: The poem has seven stanzas.

5. Q: What classical figure does Gray allude to in describing the cat?

   A: Gray alludes to Aphrodite (Venus) in describing the cat's beauty.

6. Q: What color are the cat's eyes described as?

   A: The cat's eyes are described as emerald.

7. Q: What moral does the poem draw from the cat's fate?

   A: The moral is that all that glitters is not gold (or fish).

8. Q: In what year was this poem first published?

   A: The poem was first published in 1748.

9. Q: What form does each stanza of the poem take?

   A: Each stanza is a sestet (six lines) with a rhyme scheme of AABCBC.

10. Q: Who owned the cat that inspired this poem?

    A: The cat belonged to Horace Walpole, Gray's friend.

Five-mark Questions and Answers:

1. Q: Analyze Gray's use of tone in "On a Favourite Cat Drowned in a tub of Goldfishes".

   A: Gray's tone in this poem is a masterful blend of mock-heroic solemnity and gentle humor. The poem begins with a lofty, almost epic tone, describing the cat in elevated terms that befit a classical heroine. This grandiose language is deliberately overblown for a domestic cat, creating a humorous contrast. As the poem progresses, the tone shifts subtly, maintaining its formal structure but introducing elements of suspense and inevitability as the cat approaches its fate. The final stanzas combine a tone of mock mourning with a lighthearted moral lesson. Throughout, Gray maintains a delicate balance between sympathy for the cat and amusement at the situation. The formal poetic structure contrasts with the trivial subject matter, adding to the poem's humorous effect. This sophisticated manipulation of tone allows Gray to create a poem that is simultaneously funny and poignant, trivial and profound.

2. Q: Discuss the use of classical allusions in the poem and their effect.

   A: Gray employs classical allusions in "On a Favourite Cat" to elevate the mundane subject matter to a mock-heroic level, creating both humor and depth. The most prominent allusion is to Venus (Aphrodite), the goddess of beauty, when describing the cat: "Demurest of the tabby kind, / The pensive Selima, reclined, / Gazed on the lake below." This comparison of a domestic cat to a classical goddess is deliberately overblown, creating a humorous effect. The description of the cat's "emerald eyes" also evokes classical imagery. The use of "Fate" as a personified force echoes classical literature, where Fate often plays a significant role. These classical allusions serve multiple purposes: they create humor through the contrast between elevated references and a trivial subject; they demonstrate Gray's wit and learning; and they link this light poem to the broader tradition of classical literature. By using these allusions, Gray transforms a simple cautionary tale about a cat into a miniature epic, rich with literary and cultural resonances.

3. Q: Explain how Gray uses structure and rhyme scheme to enhance the poem's effect.

   A: Gray's use of structure and rhyme scheme in "On a Favourite Cat" is crucial to the poem's effect. The poem consists of seven sestets (six-line stanzas) with a rhyme scheme of AABCBC. This regular, controlled structure contrasts with the chaotic event being described, creating a tension that enhances the poem's humor. The rhyme scheme, with its alternating rhymed and unrhymed lines, provides a sense of forward momentum that mirrors the cat's progress towards its fate. The sixth line of each stanza, rhyming with the fourth, often delivers a key point or turn in the narrative, giving each stanza a sense of closure while propelling the story forward. The formal structure also contributes to the poem's mock-heroic tone, treating a trivial subject with exaggerated seriousness. Gray uses enjambment skillfully, allowing thoughts to flow across line breaks and stanzas, which creates a smooth narrative flow despite the rigid structure. This combination of strict form and flowing narrative reflects the tension between order and chaos that is central to the poem's theme.

4. Q: Analyze the imagery used in the poem, particularly in relation to the cat and the goldfish.

   A: Gray's imagery in "On a Favourite Cat" is vivid and multifaceted, particularly in his descriptions of the cat and the goldfish. The cat, Selima, is described with regal and alluring imagery: "Her conscious tail her joy declared; / The fair round face, the snowy beard, / The velvet of her paws." This imagery presents the cat as beautiful and dignified, setting up the contrast with her inglorious end. The goldfish are described as "angel forms" and "genii of the stream," imbuing them with a mystical, almost supernatural quality. This elevates them from mere fish to objects of irresistible temptation. The image of the fish "slipping through their scaly way" emphasizes their elusive nature. The water is described as a "lake" and "flood," aggrandizing the domestic setting. The imagery of the cat's death is both violent and subdued: "Eight times emerging from the flood / She mewed to every watery god." This combination of mythic reference and mundane detail (the mewing) encapsulates the poem's blend of the elevated and the everyday. Throughout, Gray's imagery serves to transform a simple domestic accident into a mini-epic, rich with visual and symbolic detail.

5. Q: Discuss the moral lesson presented in the poem and how Gray conveys it.

   A: The moral lesson in "On a Favourite Cat" is essentially a warning against the dangers of unchecked desire and the folly of being seduced by appearances. Gray conveys this moral through the narrative of the cat's demise and explicitly states it in the final stanza: "Know, one false step is ne'er retrieved...Not all that tempts your wandering eyes / And heedless hearts, is lawful prize; / Nor all that glisters, gold." This lesson is conveyed with a light touch, avoiding heavy-handed moralizing. Gray uses the cat's fate as a humorous exemplum, allowing readers to draw the parallel to human behavior. The gradual build-up of tension as the cat approaches the fish creates a sense of inevitability that reinforces the moral. The contrast between the cat's initial dignity and its ultimate fate serves to emphasize the lesson about the potential consequences of giving in to temptation. Gray's use of elevated language and classical allusions throughout the poem also serves to give weight to the moral, presenting it as a universal truth rather than a trivial observation. By embedding this lesson in a humorous, seemingly trivial incident, Gray makes the moral more palatable and memorable.

Essay Question:

Analyze Thomas Gray's "On a Favourite Cat Drowned in a tub of Goldfishes" as an example of 18th-century wit and poetic craft. How does Gray use form, language, and literary devices to elevate a trivial incident into a work of art? Consider the poem's place in Gray's oeuvre and its significance in the context of 18th-century English poetry.

Introduction:

Thomas Gray's "On a Favourite Cat Drowned in a tub of Goldfishes" stands as a delightful example of 18th-century wit and poetic craftsmanship. Despite its seemingly trivial subject matter, the poem demonstrates Gray's mastery of form, language, and literary devices, transforming a simple domestic accident into a work of surprising depth and charm. This essay will examine how Gray achieves this transformation, considering the poem's place in his body of work and its significance in the broader context of 18th-century English poetry.

Form and Structure:

Gray's choice of form for this poem is crucial to its effect. The poem consists of seven sestets (six-line stanzas) with a rhyme scheme of AABCBC. This strict, regular form provides a contrast to the chaotic event being described, creating a tension that enhances the poem's humor. The regularity of the structure also contributes to the poem's mock-heroic tone, treating a trivial subject with exaggerated seriousness.

The rhyme scheme, with its alternating rhymed and unrhymed lines, provides a sense of forward momentum that mirrors the cat's progress towards its fate. The sixth line of each stanza, rhyming with the fourth, often delivers a key point or turn in the narrative, giving each stanza a sense of closure while propelling the story forward.

Gray's use of enjambment within this rigid structure is particularly skillful. Thoughts flow smoothly across line breaks and stanzas, creating a narrative fluidity that belies the strict formal constraints. This tension between rigid form and flowing narrative reflects the central theme of order versus chaos in the poem.

Language and Tone:

The language of "On a Favourite Cat" is a masterpiece of mock-heroic elevation. Gray describes the cat, Selima, in terms that would befit a classical heroine:

"The pensive Selima reclined,

Gazed on the lake below."

This elevated diction is deliberately overblown for a domestic cat, creating a humorous contrast that is central to the poem's effect. The tone throughout is a sophisticated blend of mock solemnity and gentle humor. Gray maintains a delicate balance between sympathy for the cat and amusement at the situation, allowing readers to be simultaneously moved and amused by Selima's fate.

The poem's conclusion shifts into a more overtly moralizing tone, but even here, Gray maintains a lightness of touch:

"Nor all that glisters, gold."

This familiar moral is presented with a wry understatement that perfectly caps the poem's blend of humor and wisdom.

Literary Devices:

Gray employs a range of literary devices to enrich this seemingly simple poem. Classical allusions abound, from the comparison of the cat to Venus to the reference to "watery gods." These allusions serve to elevate the subject matter and demonstrate Gray's wit and learning.

Personification is used extensively, most notably in the treatment of Fate as an active force:

"Malignant Fate sat by, and smiled."

This personification adds to the poem's mock-epic tone and creates a sense of inevitability about the cat's demise.

Gray also makes effective use of imagery, particularly in his descriptions of the cat and the goldfish. The cat's "velvet paws" and "whiskers tinged with gold" create a vivid picture of feline beauty, while the goldfish as "angel forms" transforms them into objects of irresistible temptation.

Place in Gray's Oeuvre:

"On a Favourite Cat" stands in interesting contrast to much of Gray's other work. While poems like "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" and "The Bard" are characterized by their seriousness and emotional depth, this poem shows Gray's lighter, more playful side. However, it shares with his other works a meticulous attention to form and language, and a ability to find profound meaning in seemingly small incidents.

The poem's blend of classical allusion and contemporary subject matter is characteristic of Gray's work, as is its moral dimension. Even in this lighthearted piece, Gray cannot resist drawing a lesson from the events he describes.

Significance in 18th-Century Poetry:

"On a Favourite Cat" exemplifies several key aspects of 18th-century English poetry:

1. Wit and Humor: The poem's clever use of elevated language to describe a trivial event is typical of the period's appreciation for wit.

2. Formal Mastery: The poem's strict adherence to form, even when describing chaotic events, reflects 18th-century values of order and control in art.

3. Classical Allusion: Gray's use of classical references demonstrates the period's ongoing engagement with ancient literature.

4. Moral Purpose: The poem's concluding moral lesson, however lightly presented, aligns with the 18th-century view that poetry should instruct as well as delight.

5. Domestic Subject Matter: By finding poetic material in a household incident, Gray participates in a broadening of poetic subjects that would continue into the Romantic period.

Conclusion:

Thomas Gray's "On a Favourite Cat Drowned in a tub of Goldfishes" is a testament to the power of poetic craft to transform the mundane into the memorable. Through his masterful use of form, language, and literary devices, Gray elevates a trivial incident into a work of art that is both delightful and thought-provoking.

The poem demonstrates that great poetry can arise from the most unlikely subjects when treated with wit, skill, and insight. It shows Gray's versatility as a poet, capable of both deep seriousness and light humor, and always with impeccable craftsmanship.

In the context of 18th-century poetry, "On a Favourite Cat" stands as an excellent example of the period's values: wit, formal mastery, classical learning, and moral purpose, all combined in a harmonious whole. It points forward, too, to later developments in English poetry, in its focus on domestic subjects and its ability to find meaning in everyday events.

Ultimately, this small gem of a poem reminds us of the power of poetry to transform our perception of the world, finding beauty, humor, and wisdom in the most unexpected places.