The Blue Bowl Analysis
Death of a Cat
Death of a Cat The short story I chose is “The Blue Bowl” by Jane Kenyon. In this story the author’s pet has died. The theme to me would be the death of a pet, or more specific death of a cat. This poem tells the tale of a family that has lost their pet. The poem demonstrates the pain of the family members due to the loss. The narrator briefly gives you a description of the family pet, “His long red fur, the white feathers between his toes, and his long, not to say aquiline, nose.” The narrator takes you into the pain and helplessness of the family when their pet cat died. This poem is full of symbolism.
“Like primitives we buried the cat with his bowl.” To me this symbolizes the use of their hands to scoop dirt, sand, and gravel as they buried their dead cat. Again you can feel the family’s sorrows. “We stood and brushed each other off. There are sorrows keener than these.” Yes there are greater losses than that of losing a pet. This poem shows the deep connection between the family and their pet. One of the two literary elements that I’m going to identify is tone. The tone of this poem to me is one of a sympathetic one. Given the references made by the narrator it would appear that the family is in a sympathetic mode.
In silence they “worked, ate, stared, slept.” this was probably what they did normally. It’s more than likely that their normal routine including working and eating and sleeping. But that they “stared” shows that from time to time their minds were filled with sorrow from the
Death of a Cat The short story I chose is “The Blue Bowl” by Jane Kenyon. In this story the author’s pet has died. The theme to me would be the death of a pet, or more specific death of a cat. This poem tells the tale of a family that has lost their pet. The poem demonstrates the pain of the family members due to the loss. The narrator briefly gives you a description of the family pet, “His long red fur, the white feathers between his toes, and his long, not to say aquiline, nose.” The narrator takes you into the pain and helplessness of the family when their pet cat died. This poem is full of symbolism.
“Like primitives we buried the cat with his bowl.” To me this symbolizes the use of their hands to scoop dirt, sand, and gravel as they buried their dead cat. Again you can feel the family’s sorrows. “We stood and brushed each other off. There are sorrows keener than these.” Yes there are greater losses than that of losing a pet. This poem shows the deep connection between the family and their pet. One of the two literary elements that I’m going to identify is tone. The tone of this poem to me is one of a sympathetic one. Given the references made by the narrator it would appear that the family is in a sympathetic mode.
In silence they “worked, ate, stared, slept.” this was probably what they did normally. It’s more than likely that their normal routine including working and eating and sleeping. But that they “stared” shows that from time to time their minds were filled with sorrow from the
References: www.ashokkarra.com/2010/07/jane-kenyon-the-blue-bowl/ (Clugston, 2010) Clugston, Wayne R.,2010, Journey into Literature