Ryan Hirst
By Alastair Reid
Curiosity
may have killed the cat; more likely
the cat was just unlucky, or else curious
to see what death was like, having no cause
to go on licking paws, or fathering
litter on litter of kittens, predictably.
Nevertheless, to be curious
is dangerous enough. To distrust
what is always said, what seems
to ask odd questions, interfere in dreams,
leave home, smell rats, have hunches
do not endear cats to those doggy circles
where well-smelt baskets, suitable wives, good
lunches
are the order of things, and where prevails
much wagging of incurious heads and tails.
Face it. Curiosity
will not cause us to die-only lack of it will.
Never to want to see
the other side of the hill
or that improbable country
where living is an idyll
(although a probable hell)
would kill us all.
Only the curious have, if they live, a tale
worth telling at all.
Dogs say cats love too much, are irresponsible,
are changeable, marry too many wives,
desert their children, chill all dinner tables
with tales of their nine lives.
Well, they are lucky. Let them be
nine-lived and contradictory,
curious enough to change, prepared to pay
the cat price, which is to die
and die again and again,
each time with no less pain.
A cat minority of one
is all that can be counted on
to tell the truth. And what cats have to tell
on each return from hell
is this: that dying is what the living do,
that dying is what the loving do,
and that dead dogs are those who do not know
that dying is what, to live, each has to do.
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Ryan Hirst
Period 4
Mr. Lane AP English and Composition
4 January 2010
Poetry Explication
The Power of “Curiosity”
Every day a person makes choices, and every day a person takes risks.
However, not every risk that person takes is dangerous. But it’s the type of risks that a
person takes that shows the character of that person.. Alastaire Reid believes in two
types of people: the “cats” and the “dogs.” A person is either a “cat” or a “dog” based on
their curiosity. If someone does not take chances and does not take risks, he or she are
considered a “dog” that does not live an exciting life. To be a “cat” is the exact opposite
of a “dog”. Risk takers with no fear of dying are considered “cats.” In order to live, a
person can not be afraid to die because everyone who lives, dies and everyone who
dies, once lived. People who live like a “dog” are afraid of dying; therefore they do not
take risks, unlike the “cats.” “Curiosity” uses symbolism, rhyming, and conflict to explain
the choice of risk taking among different people.
In the poem, symbolism is one of the many literary devices found. There are two
different symbols in this poem: cats and dogs. In life, both cats and dogs are opposites.
The text uses cats and dogs to show the differences between diverse people. During
the poem, the “cat” symbolizes a type of person who likes to take risks, is adventurous,
dangerous, and lives an exciting life. Throughout the poem, cats are curious, unlike
dogs. For example, the text states, “Only the curious / have, if they live, a tale / worth
telling at all” (24-26). People can choose to be curious, and if they do, they live a more
exciting life because they are involved in risk taking, which produces stories to tell. On
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the other hand, “dogs” symbolize people who worry a lot, aren’t risk takers, and always
want to get through life the safe way. Throughout the poem, the author does not favor
dogs because of their lack of curiosity. As the text states, “Never to want to see / the
other side of the hill” (18-19). Because of a dog’s inability of risk taking discussed, dogs
will live life always being afraid and never wanting to “go over the hill” and see what is
on the other side. Symbolism helps analyze the poem and make it even more
interesting to read because a person is able to relate it to something.
Another important literary device that adds meaning to the poem is rhyming.
Throughout the poem, the text uses rhyming words to help the poem flow well.
However, the poem does not use rhyming on a consistent basis. But when the text did
rhyme, the text mostly used masculine rhymes to convey his point. Masculine rhymes,
when used in a poem, show power and strength. For example, the text states, “Curiosity
will not cause us to die / only lack of it will. / Never to want to see / the other side of the
hill” (15-19). At the end of two lines, two words rhyme: “will” and “hill.” These words are
exact rhymes because the ending of both have exactly the same pronunciation. Not
having curiosity will cause us to die because we will never know what “could” happen.
Another example of rhyming is approximate rhymes. Approximate rhymes include words
with any kind of similar sound. The text explains, “Well, they are lucky. Let them be /
nine-lived and contradictory” (31-32). The endings of “be” and “contradictory” sound
similar. However, they are not exact rhymes because of their different spellings. Thus,
they are considered approximate rhymes because of their similar sound at the end of
each word. Throughout this poem it uses two types of rhymes, exact and approximate
rhymes to enhance the poem and make it easier to read.
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Conflict is another literary device that enhances the poem’s theme and meaning.
The major conflict in this poem is between the “cats” and the “dogs.” In other words, the
conflict is between people who are risk takers and people who always play it safe. This
conflict is person vs. society because each person is basing his/her life on society’s
opinion. If someone lives life very safely and never does anything dangerous, then that
person is a “dog.” Everyone’s different, so to one person their lifestyle may be very
boring. However to that same person, their lifestyle may be exciting and fulfilling to
them. Therefore conflicts are created because it’s hard to tell who lives an exciting life
because everyone has different opinions.
People are different in their approach to taking risks. Some people like to “play it
safe” and may be perceived by others as living a boring life. To them, they are happy
and content, just like the “dogs.” On the other hand, some people thrive by taking risks
that others perceive as dangerous. Just like the “cats”, they could not imagine a life
without this kind of excitement. This passage is important because a person can not live
life being afraid, because a part of living is to die. Thus, a person should not be afraid to
be curious and take risks because “curiosity will not cause us to die / only lack of it will”
(15 – 17). The lesson from this passage teaches people to embrace life, explore ideas,
and take risks.
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Works Cited
Reid, Alastair. "Curiosity." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Eds.
Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. ninth ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.
749-50.
Date
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
Score
Comments
9
10
8
8
8
8
9
9
9
9
87
43 your understanding of the poem is good, but this reads a bit like an early
draft rather than a graded copy; see comments for revisions and tidy up
LOCs