Compare and Contrast the Poems, ‘Esther’s Tomcat’ by Ted Hughes and ‘the Cat and the Moon’ by W.B.Yeates:
The poems ‘Esther’s Tomcat’ by Ted Hughes and ‘The Cat And The Moon’ by W.B.Yeates share many similarities and contrasts. The main communality is that of the subject of the poems. They are both about cats. However the cats have many contrasting qualities to one another. Both the poems are in first person narrative. This makes the reader feel like the story of the poem is told directly to them, which involves them emotionally. However they vary in that of structure. Their structures are based on the cats, one is well structured whilst the other is written in free verse to portray the cats mentality.
‘Esther’s Tomcat’ and the ‘The Cat And The Moon’ both share a cat as the common subject. Their cats however have many contrasts. The cat in ‘The Cat And The Moon’ is referred to as: ‘Minaloush’. This has caused the anthropomorphosis of the cat, by giving it a name. This helps us to relate to the animal, and to think of it as a pet. The cat in ‘Esther’s Tomcat’ however is only referred to as the ‘tomcat’, and ‘Esther’ is not mentioned in the poem at all. This gives us the sense that ‘Minaloush’ belongs to a family, and is a house pet, in contrast with ‘tomcat’, which is out in the wild. Nevertheless this can be seen from a different point of view as well. Looking at the titles it can be argued that as it is ‘Esther’s Tomcat’, the tomcat belongs to Esther, contrasting with ‘The Cat And The Moon’ implying that the cat is free, as there has been no mention of an owner in the poem, and it is also ‘kindred’ of the moon, which has no owner. However black cats such as Minaloush’ are thought by some to be ruled by the moon, the pupils of their eyes expanding and contracting with the waxing and waning of the moon which brings with it a very enigmatic mood, this is portrayed as a question to ‘Minaloush’ in the poem: ‘Does Minaloush know that his pupils will pass… from round to crescent, from crescent to round they change?’.
“Esther’s Tomcat" is a lively and descriptive poem
‘Esther’s Tomcat’ and the ‘The Cat And The Moon’ both share a cat as the common subject. Their cats however have many contrasts. The cat in ‘The Cat And The Moon’ is referred to as: ‘Minaloush’. This has caused the anthropomorphosis of the cat, by giving it a name. This helps us to relate to the animal, and to think of it as a pet. The cat in ‘Esther’s Tomcat’ however is only referred to as the ‘tomcat’, and ‘Esther’ is not mentioned in the poem at all. This gives us the sense that ‘Minaloush’ belongs to a family, and is a house pet, in contrast with ‘tomcat’, which is out in the wild. Nevertheless this can be seen from a different point of view as well. Looking at the titles it can be argued that as it is ‘Esther’s Tomcat’, the tomcat belongs to Esther, contrasting with ‘The Cat And The Moon’ implying that the cat is free, as there has been no mention of an owner in the poem, and it is also ‘kindred’ of the moon, which has no owner. However black cats such as Minaloush’ are thought by some to be ruled by the moon, the pupils of their eyes expanding and contracting with the waxing and waning of the moon which brings with it a very enigmatic mood, this is portrayed as a question to ‘Minaloush’ in the poem: ‘Does Minaloush know that his pupils will pass… from round to crescent, from crescent to round they change?’.
“Esther’s Tomcat" is a lively and descriptive poem