Gunn uses a metaphor on the first line of Stanza 2 comparing the cats to the film Ben Hur. This is very simple but effective, as it draws the link between the cats and the intense chariot race in the film. The enjambment used in the poem effectively helps the lines flow and continue momentum. The rhyme occurs on the first and last line, ‘Fur/Hur’, ‘Withdraws/Paws’, this helps unify the poem and repeat the sound that links one concept to the other and helps determine the structure of the poem.
‘An Appeal to Cats in the Business of Love’ seems to portray a mocking and hateful tone towards prostitution but is conveyed through cats. The language of this poem is much more suggestive and sexual which helps convey different meanings of the poem. This is clear on the first and second lines of the poem ‘Ye Cats that at midnight spit love at each other,’ ‘who best feels the pangs of a passionate lover. ‘ (Assignment Booklet, Reading Poetry, p. 23.
) It shows strong meanings of sexual, erotic feelings, pang meaning a physical sensation which comes across very intimate and quite explicit language. On Line 5 a cat is described as ‘Old Lady Grimalkin’ with her ‘gooseberry eyes’ this creates a verbal picture helping to see the ideas of what the poet is suggesting more clearly. It gives a real evocative image and expresses the idea of a sexually experienced woman but is conveyed through the old cat. The title of the poem is also very implicit as it refers to ‘Business of Love’ meaning prostitution.
This idea is again replicated on Line 7 ‘You find my experience, the love-fits soon o’er’ suggesting the orgasm lasts not long but she is off looking for her next target ‘Cats tread many tiles’ this language continues on Line 8 ‘Puss, Puss’ which is in Italics to highlight the orgasm. The rhyme is continual through the poem with AABBCCDDEEFFGG which emphasizes the sounds and really portrays the poet’s thoughts and feelings of prostitution across to the reader. Overall both poems are very strong and dramatic in their use of language and techniques which capture thoughts and feelings that are conveyed through cats.
‘Apartment Cats’ seems to portray one cat being more subservient than the other. Whereas in ‘An Appeal to Cats in the Business of Love’ it portrays a very sexual aggressive concept of women and cats. Both poems show the aggression of cats towards each other but also show, cats are independent as they can walk away from one another.
Word Count 588 BIBLIOGRAPHY Waterhouse, (2008) ‘The Dalai Lama’, in Moohan (ed) Reputations (AA100 Book 1), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 191-211The Dalai Lama (1995) The World of Tibetan Buddhism, Boston, Wisdom Publications, p. 51 Wikipedia ‘The Dalai Lama’ available from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dalai_Lama Brown. R. (2008)
‘Reading Poetry: The Faber Book of Beasts’, in Price (ed) Tradition and Dissent (AA100 Book 2), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 39-69 Muldoon. P (1998) ‘The Faber Book of Beasts’, in Muldoon (ed), pp. 5-6 Wikipedia ‘Thom Gunn’ available from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gunn Wikipedia ‘Thomas Flatman’ available from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Flatman.
