Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
As the title suggests, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is an elegy that mourns the death of the people of the village that lie buried in a country churchyard. Thomas Gray, in this poem, pays a small tribute to the humble and obscure people that lie buried in the graves. They were insignificant and more humble compared to the people of the privileged sections of the society. The tone of the poem is mournful, melancholic and thoughtful. The poet says that after death, even the privileged lies under the earth in the same way the poor and ordinary people does. The poor died unsung, unhonored and unwept. Had they been given the privilege, they would have achieved something with their talents that remained undiscovered. In the end, the poet says that one day the poet too will die and be buried in the same graveyard, and the epitaph that he wrote for himself would be inscribed on his tomb.
Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat
The poem, "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat," is based on a real incident that happened in the house of poet’s friend. The friend had two cats and one day he informed the poet that one of them had died. The cat named Selima sat in a resting posture by the side of a vase full of water. Selima looked at her reflection in the water and felt satisfied with herself but then her eyes fell prey to the two tempting gold fish which were swimming in the water. Selima wanted to catch one of those wishes just as a woman cannot resist her temptation to acquire gold. Selima was an over-confident creature who kept trying to catch hold of the fish but the fate sat by her smiling at her vain attempts. The brim of the vase betrayed her and she fell into the vase. She prayed to every God to rescue her from drowning but to no avail. Neither Tom (the make cat in the house) nor Susan (the other female cat) heard her voice. Thus, Selima drowned and died. At the end of the poem, the poet suggests that one false step can lead to disastrous consequences. Every metal that glitters may not be gold.
