Class 11

Concrete Cat

Concrete Cat Summary

-Dorthi Charles

“Concrete Cat” is an example of a “concrete poem”, a poem made for the eye, is composed by Dorthi Charles. The chief concern of such a poem is with the physical appearance of poetry, not primarily with ideas or emotions, not with language as we ordinarily use it,but with the ‘reduced language’ of the word itself as it appears on the page or elsewhere.

A poet (Gabriel Rossetti) has said that a poem must reflect the true physical appearance of thing  what we want to describe. In that sense, this work of art is a poem true to the poetic sanse and meaning. As it the poem’ Concrete Cat’ is an example of a ‘concrete poem’. The poet may be telling us about a cat, but may be showing its “catness” in action- as far as this can be done by black and white of letters on a page. We see that the cat’s tongue is a U, and so on. The poem in the cat’s middle stripe (tripe) is the only place where language aspires toward poetry and becomes figurative.

‘Concrete Cat’ is implied poem that indicates the concrete ideas about something. This type of poem is meant to see rather than to read. However, this type of poem reveals the pun through of words in a very skilful way that represent a shape of a cat and different organs of the cat. The letter ‘A’ indicates or creates the shape of pointed ears and ‘U’ makes the mouth. The white backdrop and black letters here show the real stripe of the cat. This cat concentrates here in front of the readers after killing the mouse. The upside down letter of mouse indicates that the mouse is killed by the cat. The selections of words such as stripe, whisker, paw, tail, etc. characterize the real cat like a picture but if the poet would use sentences instead of words, his concrete poem would never come to a form of cat.

Some of the letters are capitalized by the poet, such as ‘A’ to show the pointed ends of the cat.of its tongue and mouth and ‘Y’ to show the nose that separates two eyes. The show the curved position of its tongue and mouth and ‘Y’ to show the nose letters of the word “tail” is written by giving more space to show the length of the tail, which is long and slightly bending

of the word “mouse” upside down to indicate that the mouse is dead and it is The poet sets the letters of the word “mouse” upside down to indicate +

use cannot stand upright. We can assume that the cat is lying behind the cat. In front of the cat, a mouse cannot stand upright. We can assume playing with the dead rat by turning it upside down.

e stripe of the cat. As the letters are repeated, each word can create The pun can be created by the middle stripe of the cat. As the letters are repe different meaning. It is the play of the words. When we separate the letters from “stripe”, the two words

ans the belly of animal to carry the food stuffs and “stripes” are created “tripe” and “stripe”. “Tripe” means the belly of animal to carry the foods

rand texture. The cat as the poet describes here are consisted of means a relatively long band of color and texture. The cat as the poet describes he two basic words ‘stripes’ and ‘tripe’ and other letters and words as necessary

The poem ‘Concrete Cat’ is very funny, probably innocent and childish one. It is like a puzzle game. By drawing and connecting different lines we can make a real picture of a cat. Every word forms a certain limb of the cat. The word “mouse” is given downright. Ears are pointed upright. Eyes show sign of wonder. Mouth is whistling at the sight of “dish”. The trial is moving happily. Overall effect of the poem is funny as well as philosophical.

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