Gentling A Wildcat
By Douglas Livingstone
Not much wild life, roared Mine leonine Host
from the fringe of a forest of crackles
round an old dome-headed steam radio,
between hotel and river – a mile of bush –
except for the wildcats and jackals.And he, of these parts for years, was right.
That evening I ventured with no trepidations
and a torch, towed by the faculty
I cannot understand, that has got me
into too many situations.Under a tree, in filtered moonlight,
a ragged heap of dusty leaves stopped moving.
A cat lay there, open from chin to loins;
lower viscera missing; truncated tubes
and bitten-off things protruding.Little blood there was, but a mess of
damaged lungs; straining to hold its breath
for quiet; claws fixed curved and jutting,
jammed open in a stench of jackal meat;
it tried to raise its head hating the mystery, death.The big spade-skull with its lynx-fat cheeks
aggressive still, raging eyes hooked in me, game;
nostrils pulling at a tight mask of anger
and fear; then I remembered hearing
they are quite impossible to tame.Closely, in a bowl of unmoving roots,
an untouched carcass, unlicked, swaddled and wrapped
in trappings of birth, the first of a litter stretched.
Rooted out in mid-confinement: a time
when jackals have courage enough for a wildcat.In some things too, I am a coward,
and could not here punch down with braced thumb,
lift the nullifying stone or stiff-edged hand
to axe with mercy the nape of her spine.
Besides, I convinced myself, she was numb.And oppressively, something felt wrong:
not her approaching melting with earth,
but in lifetimes of claws, kaleidoscopes:
moon-claws, sun-claws, teeth after death,
certainly both at mating and birth.So I sat and gentled her with my hand,
not moving much but saying things, using my voice;
and she became gentle, affording herself
the influent luxury of breathing –
untrammelled, bubbly, safe in its noise.Later, calmed, despite her tides of pain,
she let me ease her claws, the ends of the battle,
pulling off the trapped and rancid flesh.
Her miniature limbs of iron relaxed.
She died with hardly a rattle.I placed her peaceful ungrinning corpse
and that of her firstborn in the topgallants
of a young tree, out of ground reach, to grow: restart
a cycle of maybe something more pastoral,
commencing with beetles, then maggots, then ants.
Summary of Gentling A Wildcat
- Popularity of “Gentling A Wildcat”: The poem ‘Gentling A Wildcat’ was written by Douglas Livingstone, a South African writer, and activist. It is a beautiful and unique poem, which was first published in his collection, Eyes Closed Against the Sun, published in 1970. The beauty of the poem lies in its smooth narrative of an injured cat and the strange act of the poet helping it to die in peace.
- “Gentling A Wildcat” As a Representative of Human/Wildlife Interaction: The poet captures the final moment of a cat that does not feel comfortable in his presence as it is a wild animal. Although the poet comes to know that this place has no wildlife, he comes across this cat and tries to assuage her final journey toward death after the fight with a jackal. The cat is lying under a heap of leaves as it was bleeding after the attack. Also, the jackal as fur is trapped in her claws. He describes the cat’s injuries, which include broken and cut parts, and her other physical features to state that the cat was very aggressive on that day as the poet looks at her in that condition. Calling it dead moving, he comes to the point that the cat needs to die to get out of this harrowing experience of suffering. He thinks of killing the cat but argues that she is already numb to pain. Therefore, he would not try to kill her with some other means that could hurt the cat more than she is feeling. Having thought this, he tries to comfort her and removes jackal skin from her claws while comforting her. In the last stanza, he muses on the death of the cat and her part in the life cycle that goes on in the shape of beetles, maggots, and ants.
- Major Themes in “Gentling A Wildcat”: Death, life cycle, and human feelings are three major themes of this poem. Livingstone beautifully captures the final moments of a cat getting injured in a fight with a jackal. He deduces from the jackal skin trapped in her claws that the cat was brave and fought well. Despite this, the cat does not survive that horrible attack and dies in the hands of the poet who becomes her final comforter. He makes the cat feel good during her final movements which is a human trait of feeling love, sympathy, and pity. However, he could not save the cat from dying. He rather thinks about the life cycle in which the maggots and beetles would eat up the dead body of the cat and give birth to new life in the shape of young trees.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Gentling A Wildcat
literary devices are unique strategies used to make writings beautiful and meaningful. The analysis of these devices in the poem as given below shows this fact.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /o/ in “round an old dome-headed steam radio, / between hotel and river – a mile of bush”, the sound of /i/ in “Rooted out in mid-confinement: a time” and the sound of /a/ in “to axe with mercy the nape of her spine.”
- Alliteration: It is a device that means to use words in quick succession having initial consonants such as the sound of /h/ in “head hating” and /m/ in “moving much.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /r/ and /k/ in “from the fringes of a forest of crackles”, the sound of /v/ and /d/ in “That evening I ventured with no trepidations” and the sound of /r/, /n/, and /m/ in “Her miniature limbs of iron relaxed.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
I placed her peaceful ungrinning corpse
and that of her firstborn in the topgallants
of a young tree, out of ground reach, to grow: restart
a cycle of maybe something more pastoral,
commencing with beetles, then maggots, then ants.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “Under a tree, in filtered moonlight”, “A cat lay there, open from chin to loins” and “Little blood there was, but a mess of “damaged lungs; straining to hold its breath.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of the extended metaphor to demonstrate the dimensions and reality of life in general.
- Personification: The poem shows the use of personifications such as lungs straining for breathing, skill as aggressive, and eyes as looking upon the poet. The verses show if they have life and emotions of their own.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of a cat, roots, trees, and moths to show the importance and reality of life.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Gentling A Wildcat
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: Although the diction is bedecked with metaphors and personifications, it shows a serious and erudite tone.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyming pattern. Therefore, it is a free-verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. The poem has eleven stanzas with each having five verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from ‘Gentling A Wildcat’ are relevant to use when delivering a lecture on the importance of the continuance of life and human feelings.
I placed her peaceful ungrinning corpse
and that of her firstborn in the topgallants
of a young tree, out of ground reach, to grow: restart
a cycle of maybe something more pastoral,
commencing with beetles, then maggots, then ants.
