The Blue Bowl
Jane Kenyon
Like primitives we buried the cat
with his bowl. Bare-handed
we scraped sand and gravel
back into the hole.
They fell with a hiss
and thud on his side,
on his long red fur, the white feathers
between his toes, and his
long, not to say aquiline, nose.
We stood and brushed each other off.
There are sorrows keener than these.
Silent the rest of the day, we worked,
ate, stared, and slept. 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.
from Otherwise: New & Selected Poems, 1996
Graywolf Press, St. Paul, Minnesota
Pugliese 2
Katie Pugliese
AP Literature 12
Mr. Lane
December 11, 2009
Poetry Explication
Charles Dickens once asked, “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” Felines have long been
known to provide friendship, warmth, and amusement to humans since the ancient Egyptians
worshipped them as gods. Besides being pleasant companions, cats are wonderful stress relievers as
well as subjects for many of history’s most famous quotes, books, and poems. Experiencing the death
one of these feline comrades is the equivalent of losing a best friend in the eyes of many cat lovers. In
Jane Kenyon’s “The Blue Bowl,” tone, imagery, diction, and symbolism illustrate the gloomy scene and
affecting emotions that accompany the burial of a much loved feline friend.
The poem’s tone is one of humanity as well as sorrow. By setting a melancholy tone, the poet
exemplifies the somber atmosphere of the interment as well as the despondent feelings of the narrator.
The poem begins with a description of the scene in which “like primitives we buried the cat with his
bowl. Bare-handed we scraped sand and gravel back into the hole”(1-4). These lines show the tone of
the poem by presenting a poignant image of a dead cat being buried with the bowl from which he once
ate. The thought of a once-living creature now covered with sand and gravel forms a moving image in
the reader’s mind and creates an ideal tone for the poem’s beginning. The poem also displays a
reflective tone by describing the people burying the cat as “primitives” and having bare hands. The
narrator describes the basic qualities of the cat’s owners and establishes the tone from a human
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perspective. The sadness of loss coupled with the depiction of the people give the poem a unique tone
that allows it to offer a detailed point of view.
The poem utilizes detailed imagery to offer an emotionally stirring view of a cat’s burial. The cat
has “long red fur” (7), “white feathers between his toes” (7-8), and a “long, not to say aquiline nose”
(9). A description of the cat’s nose as “aquiline” provides the image of an animal with humanlike
characteristics. In addition, this depiction makes the scene more meaningful because it shows the
narrator’s view of the cat as somewhat human. The poem also uses phrases such as “they fell with a hiss
and a thud” (5-6) and “a robin burbles from a dripping bush” (14-15) to expand the poem’s imagery and
lend realism to the scene. The sound of the sand and gravel covering the cat as well as the robin’s poststorm song are nearly tangible in the poem. The poem’s detailed imagery creates a lasting impression of
the various facets of emotion present in the scene.
Diction expresses a multiple ideas in the span of only a few words. For example, the poem
describes a storm that lasts all night but recedes the next day. Denotatively, the word “storm” means a
disturbance in an atmosphere, implying the occurrence of severe weather. Connotatively, “storm” may
mean a difficult period of time, either emotionally or physically. The narrator’s grief is epitomized by the
event of a storm and the poem’s use of the word provides a duel meaning. The term “primitive”(1)
describes a person or thing that is simple, crude, or at an early stage of development. The word
“primitive” also refers to the cat’s owners as they bury their pet. This term portrays the humans as
archaic; they are burying a dead animal in the same way their ancestors would. The use of the word
“primitive” adds humanity to the poem and allows the diction to further develop the poem’s solemn
image.
The emotional impact created by the dead cat is made more powerful by the poem’s use of
symbolism. The poem’s title, “The Blue Bowl,” describes the deceased cat’s food dish. The title
symbolizes the dead animal’s past as a once-living creature that ate food and preferred a certain object.
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By suggesting these traits, the symbol of the blue bowl adds sentiment to the poem and generates
sympathy towards the cat. The bowl was an important aspect of the cat’s life as it symbolizes the loss of
an animal that once lived, breathed, meowed, and consumed food. The bowl’s color also holds meaning
as blue is generally a color of sadness or depression. The poem’s use of symbolism describes a token of
life once lived and represents the narrator’s memories.
“The Blue Bowl” uses several literary techniques to illustrate the poem’s setting as well as the
emotions that correspond with the events in the poem. Tone, imagery, diction, and symbolism all
function as effective devices within the poem to bring to life the scene of a cat’s burial. Besides
describing the situation, these techniques allow the poem to serve as an insight into the complex human
emotions that surround the death of a companion. The poem allows its audience to view the situation
through the narrator’s eyes, weaving an exquisite tapestry of words that provide a multifaceted
emotional experience.
Pugliese 5
Works Cited
Kenyon, Jane. "Poetry 180 - The Blue Bowl." Library of Congress Home. Web. 11 Dec. 2009.
<http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/004.html>.
Name
Topic/Title
Area
Ideas and Content
Organization
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Voice
Lower Order Concerns
Presentation (Research Guide)
Insight
Support
Introduction and Conclusion
TOTAL
GRADE out of 50
Date
Score
Comments
10
10
9
9
9
9
9
10
10
10
95
47 Thanks for sharing this poem; I'd not read it before; you demonstrate
a very good understanding of the poem and how it works; see
comments for revisions