Thomas Gray

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Thomas Gray
Brian Buchter and Ryan Fox http//rpo.library.utor
onto.ca
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Biography

• Thomas Gray was born December 26, 1716 at 41
  Cornhill London. He was one of twelve children.
  He was the only one to survive childhood out of
  his brothers and sisters. From 1725 to 1734,
  Gray attended Eton college. His mother paid for
  his education. At college, he took interest in
  entomology and botany, along with poetry classes.
  In 1742, Gray wrote his most famous poems
  including Ode on the Spring, Hymn to Ignorance,
  and Ode to Adversity. In 1747 he got married.
  In 1748 appeared the first three volume of
  Dodsleys collection, which contained Ode on the
  Spring and the poem Ode on the Death of my
  Favorite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes.
  Gray died on July 30, 1771. In 1790, a monument
  to Grays memory was erected in the Stoke Poges.

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Accomplishments

• Thomas Gray was a well recognized poet in
  England. He was one of the finest poets from
  England at the time. When he died a monument was
  erected in his honor. He is known as one of
  Englands finest poets. When he was alive he was
  awarded many honors for his poetic works.

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Historical, literary, and social context for poem

• When Thomas Gray wrote this poem his best friends
  cat had just died. Thomas Gray wrote this poem to
  try and cheer up his friend. That is way he made
  the poem a comedic poem.

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Ode On The Death Of A Favorite Cat Drowned In A
Tub Of Goldfishes

• The hapless Nymph with wonder sawA whisker
  first and then a claw,With many an ardent
  wish,She stretched in vain to reach the
  prize.What female heart can gold despise?What
  cat's averse to fish?Presumptuous Maid! with
  looks intentAgain she stretched, again she
  bent,Nor knew the gulf between.(Malignant Fate
  sat by, and smiled)The slippery verge her feet
  beguiled,She tumbled headlong in.Eight times
  emerging from the floodShe mewed to every watery
  god,Some speedy aid to send.No Dolphin came, no
  Nereid stirredNor cruel Tom, nor Susan heard.A
  Favorite has no friend!From hence, ye Beauties,
  undeceived,Know, one false step is ne'er
  retrieved,And be with caution bold.Not all that
  tempts your wandering eyesAnd heedless hearts is
  lawful prize,Nor all, that glisters, gold.

• Twas on a lofty vase's side,Where China's gayest
  art had dyed. The azure flow's that
  blowDemurest of the tabby kind,The pensive
  Selima, reclined,Gazed on the lake below.Her
  conscious tail her joy declared The fair round
  face, the snowy beard, The velvet of her paws,
  Her coat, that with the tortoise vies, Her ears
  of jet, and emerald eyes, She saw and purred
  applause.Still had she gazed but 'midst the
  tide. Two angel forms were seen to glide, The
  Genii of the streamTheir scaly armor's Tyrian
  hueThro' richest purple to the viewBetrayed a
  golden gleam.
• The hapless Nymph with wonder sawA whisker
  first and then a claw,With many an ardent
  wish,She stretched in vain to reach the
  prize.What female heart can gold despise?What
  cat's averse to fish?

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Poetic Structure and Rhyme Scheme

• The rhyme scheme of Ode On The Death Of A
  Favorite Cat Drowned In A Tub Of Goldfishes is
  AABCCB. The poetic structure of the poem is a
  Thematic Structure.

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Poem Overview

• The poem is meant to be a comedic outlook on a
  tragic event. The tragic event in the poem is the
  death of the mans favorite cat. The comedy is
  that it drowned in a tub of goldfishes.

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Summary

• The cat was just trying to get some food when it
  fell in to a tub of goldfishes where it
  eventually died. The cat was tempted by the fish
  swimming around and finally gave into that
  temptation. The cat tried its best to survive but
  it just couldnt stop itself from drowning. The
  cat even tried to call to a water god to rescue
  it but it never received help.

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Form

• The form/structure of Ode on the Death of a
  Favorite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes is a
  Horatian Ode.

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Literary Devices

• Gray uses word choice, allusions, and repetition
  in this poem. He uses allusions when the cat is
  praying to the water god for help. He repeats
  that the cat is drowning in a tub of goldfishes
  many times in this poem. Word choice is the
  wording that Gray used in the poem. Allusion is
  when the object in the poem sees things that are
  not there. Repetition is saying the same thing
  over and over to get a point across.

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Works Cited

• Thomas Gray (1716-1771)." http//rpo.library.utoro
  nto.ca. 20 Apr. 2004. 21 Feb. 2008
  lthttp//rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/885.htmlgt.
• "The Thomas Gray Archives." Thomasgray.Org. 03
  Dec. 2007. 21 Feb. 2008 lthttp//www.thomasgray.org
  /materials/bio.shtmlgt.
• "The Dead Kitty in Ode on the Death of a Favorite
  Cat (Favorite)." 123HelpMe.com. 21 Feb 2008    
  lthttp//www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id7339gt.