Cat's Table

3. Examine the cover of the novel. What images do you see? How do you think the images are connected to the story?

Identify and describe two conflicts in the story. Explain how the protagonist responds throughout the story and what his or her response reveals about him or her. Write in complete sentences.

describe the characters, setting, and conflict using meaningful sensory descriptions and details that enable the reader to visualize the experiences in your narrative.

Choose a character out of the novel; describe the characters personality and placement in the novel.

protagonists and antagonists, the plot structure and events of the story and the way he

7. How does the author create a sense of urgency in his writing? (2 marks)

NOW list the events in the SEQUENCE in which they are PRESENTED IN THE STORY (the orchestration of PLOT).

Firstly, the two main characters in this story, Kitty and Stew, are crucial elements of the story to present its theme. When Kitty was a child, her and Stew were intimate. She would laugh at her father's jokes about playing with the hairs of his nose. (Gaitskill, 290) This

The storyteller begins the story by stating from an early age he has had an obsession with animals. Poe states, “This peculiarity of character grew with my growth, and, in my manhood, I derived from it one of my principal sources of pleasure.” (Poe) This statement is evidence of the insanity the narrator experienced at a very young age. He goes on to explain that he and his wife have many domesticated animals, including Pluto, a large beautiful black cat. He describes the mutual fondness between him and the cat. This relationship between him and the cat, is strange. For years they have a growing friendship, until he started drinking alcohol in excess. The narrator goes on to explain how one night after getting completely intoxicated, the cat panicked and bit him. This causes the author to become angry and in a psychotic fit of rage, he takes a knife and cuts out one of the cat’s eyes. After this encounter, the cat fears him, and tries to avoid him at all cost. In the beginning, the storyteller is regretful and feels remorseful for the cruelty. But soon we see the narrator’s insanity expressed when Poe states, “But this feeling soon gave place

Many people think it is just about a cat trying to have fun but it is not. It is about the chaos that is going on in the world around them. Dr.Seuss was known to bring situations to life in his stories and that is what he did just here. Not only does this story teach children on how to rebel against their parents and not pay attention to any of the rules it also says that to a point children should listen and have certain traditions with in their family.

The fate of the cat’s life is still unknown. At this point, the author points out that “[t]he kitchen light came on,

1. Who are the most important characters? Identify the protagonist/antagonist/ Write down important information and characteristics about each one.

2. Briefly write the historical and cultural contexts of each story. When and where do they take place? What hints, references, or details do the authors give to let you know the time and place of each story, and/or the cultural background of the characters? Be as specific and concise as possible.

The kitten also has symbolic uses, adding to the message conveyed by Barton. Cats, historically are represented as intuitive and independent. Freely expressing themselves and not relying on other for comfort. With the kitten in Barton’s image, desperately clawing at the woman’s hand, and the woman holding the kitten close to her chest, it signifies the urgent attempt for the woman, or women in general, to pertain to sexual

Moreover, it has been argued that the cat is a metaphor for the narrator’s wife. Critics claim that the following passage raises suspicion that the killing of the first cat was actually the murder of his own wife. Poe writes: Norton Anthology American Literature. 7th. 1. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2008. 705-711. Print.