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Power to the Cats


            Since the dawning of time, many great works of poetry have been published, written by inspired poets. In the following two poems, the poets convey to us that the cat is a truly prominent creature. Algernon Charles Swinburne worships the cat in his poem, titled "To a Cat." Wang T"ung-Kuei also shows his admiration of cats in his poem, titled "Frost Eyebrows." Both poems are similar, and can be compared to one another with regards to the diction, literary devices, and theme conveyed in both poems.
             Diction is exceedingly important when poets are writing a poem, because it is used to determine the tone of the poem, and is used to convey ideas and moods. In T"ung-Kuei's poem, we see that Frost Eyebrows is worshipped by the Emperor of the Ming. "Her beauty was unsurpassed," and "She seemed deep and wise" shows us that T"ung-Kuei regarded the cat as a God-like creature. The style of writing and sentence composition also conveys to us that Frost Eyebrows was a powerful cat: "Where the Emperor wished to go, she led; / Whom the Emperor wished to see, she approached." Frost Swinburne also feels the same way, using words like "stately" and "lordly" to show his praise for cats. Many sensory words are used to express his feelings for the cat, using descriptive words such as "glorious", "silken-shaggy", "soft", and "bright." Swinburne uses a somewhat advanced level of vocabulary, while T"ung-Kuei uses with short and simple, yet precise, words. But the diction of both poems clearly shows that the cat is idolized by both poets.
             In addition to diction, literary devices allow the poet to convey imagery and depth of the poem, allowing the readers to imagine what is being described. Very few literary devices are used in T"ung Kuei's "Frost Eyebrows," but there are two instances of similes. Frost Eyebrow's eyebrows "were white as jade," and jade is known to be a very precious stone in China, with usually only rich and prominent people able to afford jade.


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