Macavity, the Mystery Cat
(By T.S. Eliot) For class VII T. S. Eliot is a very famous American poet.
Stanza 1.
“Macavity’s
a mystery Cat:…………not there.”
The
poet describes a mysterious cat in this poem. It stands for ‘the Hidden Paw’, a
symbol of crimes and cruelties, that is, Napoleon.
Here,
in the poem, the cat is a mysterious figure. Even the famous detective agency
like Scotland Yard and the Flying Squad (group of police officers in England)
are not able to find it out. He is the master criminal who defies any law. He
is the cause of the bafflement to the detective agencies like Scotland Yard and
Flying Squad. He is too clever to be caught by anyone. When they reach the
place of crime, the mysterious cat is not there.
Word-meanings:
1. Despair: hopelessness
Stanza 2
“Macavity, Macavity, there’s no
one…………..not there.”
No one is like Macavity. He has broken
every human law. He even breaks the law of gravity. He has the power to rise or
float in the air. I makes even a magician stare at its flying in the air. You
may search for it in the basement. You look for it in the sky. But after doing
crime, it is found nowhere.
Stanza 3
“Macavity’s a ginger cat……..”
Then the poet, T.S. eliot, proceeds to
describe the cat by telling us that he is brown in colour, very tall and thin
in body. His eyes are sunken and eyebrows are deeply lined with thought. His
head is round in shape. His coat is dusty (means its furs) are dusty and his
whiskers (long stiff hair grown near the mouth) are tangled (not combed). While
moving like a snake, he sways (moves) his head from side to side as if in
search of some prey. He is so alert that in sleep also it is found awake.
Stanza
4
“Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity…….”
In the fourth satanza, the poet says
that there is no one like Macavity in his devilishness. He is a fiend (फींड cruel and unpleasant) in the guise of a cat. He is a monster of
wickedness. He may be seen in a by-street or
in a square (plaza, open place). But when people come to know about a
crime there, he is found nowhere.
Stanza
Five
“He is outwardly respectable………”
The poets tells us about his more
crimes in this stanza. He says that Macavity is a hypocrite , very clever and
cunning being because his outward impression is respectable. No trace of his
previous criminal record is found in the files of the detective agency like
Scotland Yard. Several activities of loot are usually committed , for example,
disappearance of eatables and milk from
the cupboards, jewellery thefts at the
gun-point, strangulation (killing by pressing the throat) of a small Chinese dog (Pekinese), breaking of
the greenhouse glass and trellis. But it is surprising that Macavity leaves no
evidences of crime behind him.
Stanza
Six
“And
when the Foreign…….”
In this stanza also, the poet
continues describing Macavity’s crimes. When a file of Treaty from the foreign
office is found missing, the Admiralty ( In the past in Britain: the naval
office) lost some plans and drawings, or a scrap of paper is found in the hall
or on the stair, there is use investigating the matter because Macavity would
not be found responsible for those crimes. The Secret Service might say that it
is done by Macavity, but that is of no use. He will be half a mile away from
the place of crime and may be relaxing or licking his thumbs or may be busy in
solving the complicated (difficult) sums of division.
Stanza Seven:
In the last stanza, the poet says that
there had never been such a deceitful and tactful cat in the past. He is always
ready to use an alibi (excuse) or more, but he is not present at time of the
crime. Then the poet mentions about other cats like Mungojerrie and
Griddlebone, whose wicked deeds were also known to people. But those were also
the agents of Macavity who controlled their actions. He is really the Napoleon
of Crime.
A.
Answer the following questions.
1.
Describe some of the crimes committed
by Macavity.
Ans. It commits several crimes like stealing of eatables and milk from the cupboards,
looting jewellery at the gun-point, strangulating (killing by pressing the
throat) of small Chinese dog
(Pekinese), breaking of the greenhouse glass and trellis. It is also
responsible for stealing a file of Treaty from the foreign office and stealing
some plans and drawings from the Admiralty.
2. Describe
Macavity in detail.
a.
Why are his eyes sunken?
Ans. His eyes are sunken and eyebrows
are deeply lined in thoughts. He is always thinking deeply to commit next
crime, so his eyes are sunken. It may be because of his wickedness.
b.
What do his lined brow and his high
domed forehead show?
Ans. His lined brow and high domed
forehead show that Macavity is always busy thinking and planning to do bad
things. Is His forehead and brows have
become tense due his wickedness.
c.
Why is the coat dusty and his whiskers
uncombed?
Ans. Macavity is a monster and always
busy in committing crimes and run away unseen from the spot. So it has never
thought of cleaning his fur coat and whiskers. It has no time to think about
himself except doing evil deeds. So these are dirty and uncleaned.
3.
What gifts does Macavity have that
will make even a fakir stare in wonder?
Ans. He has the power to rise or float in
the air. I makes even a magician stare at its flying in the air.
4. Can
Macavity be ever accused of having committed a crime? Why not?
Ans. Macavity can never be accused of
having committed a crime because he cannot be found at the place of crime. He
is so clever and active to disappear from there.
5.
What alibis did Macavity have that
made it impossible to catch him?
Ans. Macavity was
never caught from the place of crime. So in the absence of evidence, it is
impossible to catch him. This is the only alibi the poet talks about in the
poem.
B. Explain with reference to the context:
1.“He’s broken every human law, he
breaks the law of gravity.”
Ans. This line has been taken from the
poem ‘Macavity, the Mystery Cat’ written by T.S. Eliot. He tells us that
Macavity is the name of cruelty itself. It has broken all human laws. It has
broken the law of gravity also because it can fly and float in the air.
2.”And when the foreign office……on the
stair.”
Ans. These lines have been taken from
the poem ‘Macavity, the Mystery Cat’ written by T.S. Eliot.
The poet tells us that Macavity is the
name of cruelty itself. He has broken all human laws. He has committed so many
crimes, but he has not been convicted for them. He is capable of stealing
papers or file of treaty from any foreign office and he may also steal the
plans and drawings of the naval office. Even if some scrap of paper is found in
the hall or on the stair, you cannot blame Macavity for that. He is already
gone from there.
3. You’ll be sure……….division sums.”
Ans. These lines have been taken from
the poem ‘Macavity, the Mystery Cat’ written by T.S. Eliot. The poet tells us
that Macavity is the name of cruelty itself. He has broken all human laws. He
has committed so many crimes, but he has not been convicted for them.
There is use investigating the matter
because Macavity would not be found responsible for those crimes. The Secret
Service might say that it is done by Macavity, but that is of no use. He will
be half a mile away from the place of crime and may be relaxing or licking his
thumbs or may be busy in solving the complicated (difficult) sums of division.
