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 recent loss of their cat. The next element I’m going to identify is symbolism. There are various symbols throughout this poem. When the narrator speaks of the family scooping the sand and gravel to cover their deceased pet is symbolism. The sounds such as the hiss and the thud are symbolizing what was going on with them at that time.
It stormed all night; now it clears, and a robin burbles from a dripping bush like the neighbor who means well but always says the wrong thing. This passage is another symbol. It seems to show that the family is still in some kind of mourning or sad mood. The two literary elements I decided on tone and symbolism make up this poem. The tone is that of sorrow, and sadness brought on by the death of the family pet cat. The symbols are great representatives of the family’s feelings and what they were going through. Their mourning was not over, and they were in no mood to enjoy the bright melodies of birds just yet.
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