BSEB Class 12 English Poem 7 Macavity: The Mystery Cat Summary, Explanation, and Question Answers from Rainbow Book
Macavity: The Mystery Cat – BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow Book Poem 7 Macavity: The Mystery Cat Summary and detailed line by line explanations of the poem along with the meanings of difficult words.
BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow Book Poem 7 – Macavity: The Mystery Cat
By T. S. Eliot
- Macavity the Mystery Cat Introduction
- Macavity the Mystery Cat Summary
- Macavity the Mystery Cat Summary in Hindi
- Video Explanation of Macavity the Mystery Cat
- Macavity the Mystery Cat Lesson Explanation
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Macavity: The Mystery Cat Introduction
The present poem ‘Macavity: The Mystery Cat’ is from the collection called Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, which was made into a very successful music on stage by the great composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. Macavity is a wicked cat who is known as ‘Hidden Paw’. He is a notorious criminal, spy, and a trickster who openly disobeys the laws. Macavity is a mastermind and leaves no evidence after committing the crime.
Macavity: The Mystery Cat Summary
Macavity -The Mystery Cat is a poem written by T.S. Eliot who seemed to be fond of cats. The poem is about Macavity, a cat. The cat openly disobeyed the laws and is a criminal. In the first stanza of the poem he explained why Macavity is called a mystery cat. Macavity disobeyed the laws enforced in the country. The police force, referred to as Scotland yard was constantly confused by his ability to disappear without a trace. The Flying Squad which was running after him always failed to catch him as he was faster than them. He committed crimes, broke the rules, and indulged in mischievous activities, but he was so clever that he was never caught.
In the second stanza of the poem the poet explained how Macavity was known for defying laws and he had disobeyed every human law, including the law of gravity. The speaker exaggerated the cat’s ability by calling it “powers of levitation” by which he meant the capacity to rise and float in air. The poet didn’t actually mean that the cat could stay afloat in the air but instead he described the cat’s ability to fall on its feet. The poet compared a cat’s ability to a fakir and explained how even a fakir would be taken aback by his ability to tackle a fall. Fakir is basically a holy man who lives by begging and can never recreate the cat’s reflex. You could look for him in the basement or up in the sky, but Macavity was so skilled that he would have vanished from the site. Macavity could easily disappear into thin air without leaving any trace behind. He committed a crime, but when you got to the crime scene, Macavity was nowhere to be seen.
In the third stanza of the poem the poet described the cat’s physical appearance and he called him a ginger cat because he was tall and skinny and his eyes were sunken in. His eyebrows were deeply creased as if he was thinking and his head was considerably arched. His fur looked dusty as Macavity rarely paid attention to it, and his whiskers were unkempt. He was full of dust due to the constant ignorance of his skin. Macavity used to sway his head like a snake. He was always alert though one might feel that he was sleeping but he was always wide awake. Macavity was always on alert and that explained his ability to remain hidden from Scotland Yard.
In the fourth stanza of the poem the poet said, “Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity”. The poet called him the incarnation of evil. According to the poet, Macavity was a terrible criminal and was a devil in the shape of a cat. The poet called him a ‘depraved monster’ by which he meant that was an animal with no moral values. He could be found on the street or square but when you wanted to punish him, you could never find him. Macavity could be seen in private streets or crowded places, but once his crime was detected, he escaped and became the mystery cat and he was impossible to locate. Then again the poet said “Macavity’s not there!”
In the fifth stanza of the poem the poet said that Macavity was superficially respected by people because he cheated at cards in such a way that nobody could discover. The poet further explained that Macavity’s footprints were not found in any file of Scotland Yard. He committed every crime. Whenever he looted the food from a cupboard used for storing food, searched thoroughly and stole jewels and milk, whenever he suffocated a dog or broke into a greenhouse or architecture, he quickly vanished away and was never to be found. The poet said that whenever Macavity committed crime it never remained there. Macavity cheated everyone but never left any clue.
In the sixth stanza of the poem the poet said when the Foreign Officer found that a treaty was gone astray by which he meant that a law was broken or when the Admiralty (police) lost some plans and drawings in which there were plans to catch Macavity were missing they found them later on in the hall or on the stairs but it was useless to investigate as Macavity vanished away. The poet further explained that when the loss was disclosed, the Secret Service would say that it was Macavity who did this. But now it was useless as he was already a mile away. One could find him either resting somewhere or licking his thumb or engaged in doing complicated long division sums like doing some calculations.
In the seventh stanza, the poet again said that there was no one like Macavity as there was no cat as fraudulent, dishonest, confident and charming as him. He never did crimes alone, he always had an alibi and defence and one or two companions with him. He quickly vanished away as always after committing crime. In the last few lines the poet said that even Macavity’s companions were well known because of their crimes. He mentioned their names as well which were Mungojerrie and Griddlebone. However, they were just agents for Macavity all the time. They just controlled the operations of the master criminal- Macavity.
Macavity -The Mystery Cat Summary in Hindi
मैकाविटी–द मिस्ट्री कैट टी.एस. द्वारा लिखित एक कविता है। इलियट को बिल्लियों का बहुत शौक था। यह कविता एक बिल्ली मैकाविटी के बारे में है। बिल्ली ने खुले तौर पर कानूनों का उल्लंघन किया और वह एक अपराधी है। कविता के पहले छंद में उन्होंने बताया कि मैकाविटी को रहस्यमयी बिल्ली क्यों कहा जाता है। मैकाविटी ने देश में लागू कानूनों की अवज्ञा की। पुलिस बल, जिसे स्कॉटलैंड यार्ड कहा जाता है, बिना किसी निशान के गायब होने की उसकी क्षमता से लगातार भ्रमित था। उसके पीछे दौड़ने वाला उड़न दस्ता हमेशा उसे पकड़ने में असफल रहता था क्योंकि वह उनसे तेज़ था। उसने अपराध किये, नियम तोड़े और शरारती गतिविधियों में लिप्त रहा, लेकिन वह इतना चतुर था कि कभी पकड़ा नहीं गया।
कविता के दूसरे छंद में कवि ने बताया कि कैसे मैकाविटी कानूनों की अवहेलना के लिए जाना जाता था और उसने गुरुत्वाकर्षण के नियम सहित हर मानव कानून की अवज्ञा की थी। वक्ता ने बिल्ली की क्षमता को “उत्तोलन की शक्तियाँ” कहकर बढ़ा–चढ़ाकर पेश किया, जिसका अर्थ हवा में उठने और तैरने की क्षमता से था। कवि का वास्तव में यह मतलब नहीं था कि बिल्ली हवा में तैर सकती है, बल्कि उसने बिल्ली की अपने पैरों पर गिरने की क्षमता का वर्णन किया है। कवि ने एक बिल्ली की क्षमता की तुलना एक फकीर से की और बताया कि कैसे एक फकीर भी उसकी गिरने से निपटने की क्षमता से दंग रह जाएगा। फकीर मूल रूप से एक पवित्र व्यक्ति है जो भीख मांगकर जीवन यापन करता है और वह कभी भी बिल्ली की तरह पलटा नहीं खा सकता। आप उसे तहखाने में या ऊपर आसमान में ढूंढ सकते थे, लेकिन मैकाविटी इतना कुशल था कि वह साइट से गायब हो जाता। मैकाविटी बिना कोई निशान छोड़े आसानी से हवा में गायब हो सकती है। उसने अपराध किया, लेकिन जब आप अपराध स्थल पर पहुंचे, तो मैकाविटी कहीं नहीं दिखी।
कविता के तीसरे छंद में कवि ने बिल्ली की शारीरिक बनावट का वर्णन किया और उसने उसे अदरक बिल्ली कहा क्योंकि वह लंबी और पतली थी और उसकी आँखें अंदर धँसी हुई थीं। उसकी भौंहें गहरी सिकुड़ी हुई थीं जैसे कि वह कुछ सोच रहा हो और उसका सिर काफी झुका हुआ था। उसका फर धूल भरा लग रहा था क्योंकि मैकाविटी ने शायद ही कभी इस पर ध्यान दिया हो, और उसकी मूंछें भी बेतरतीब थीं। अपनी त्वचा के प्रति निरंतर अज्ञान के कारण वह धूल से भर गया था। मैकाविटी साँप की भाँति अपना सिर हिलाता था। वह हमेशा सतर्क रहता था, भले ही किसी को लगे कि वह सो रहा है, लेकिन वह हमेशा जागते रहता था। मैकाविटी हमेशा सतर्क रहता था और इससे स्कॉटलैंड यार्ड से छिपे रहने की उसकी क्षमता का पता चलता था।
कविता के चौथे छंद में कवि ने कहा, “मैकाविटी, मैकाविटी, मैकाविटी जैसा कोई नहीं है“। कवि ने उन्हें बुराई का अवतार कहा है। कवि के अनुसार, मैकाविटी एक भयानक अपराधी था और बिल्ली के आकार का शैतान था। कवि ने उसे ‘दुष्ट राक्षस‘ कहा, जिसका अर्थ था कि वह एक ऐसा जानवर था जिसमें कोई नैतिक मूल्य नहीं था। वह सड़क या चौराहे पर पाया जा सकता था लेकिन जब आप उसे सज़ा देना चाहते थे, तो आप उसे कभी नहीं पा सकते थे। मैकाविटी को निजी सड़कों या भीड़–भाड़ वाली जगहों पर देखा जा सकता था, लेकिन एक बार उसके अपराध का पता चलने के बाद, वह भाग गया और रहस्यमय बिल्ली बन गया और उसका पता लगाना असंभव था। कवि ने फिर कहा, “मैकाविटी वहाँ नहीं है!”
कविता के पाँचवें छंद में कवि ने कहा कि मैकाविटी का लोग सतही तौर पर सम्मान करते थे क्योंकि वह कार्डों में इस तरह से धोखाधड़ी करता था कि किसी को पता नहीं चल पाता था। कवि ने आगे बताया कि मैकाविटी के पैरों के निशान स्कॉटलैंड यार्ड की किसी भी फ़ाइल में नहीं पाए गए। उसने हर अपराध किया । जब भी उसने भोजन भंडारण के लिए इस्तेमाल की जाने वाली अलमारी से खाना लूटा, अच्छी तरह से खोजा और गहने और दूध चुराया, जब भी उसने किसी कुत्ते का दम घोंट दिया या ग्रीनहाउस या वास्तुकला में तोड़ दिया, तो वह तुरंत गायब हो गया और कभी नहीं मिला। कवि ने कहा कि जब भी मैकाविटी ने अपराध किया तो वह वहाँ कभी नहीं रहा। मैकाविटी ने सभी को धोखा दिया लेकिन कभी कोई सुराग नहीं छोड़ा।
कविता के छठे छंद में कवि ने कहा कि जब विदेशी अधिकारी को पता चला कि एक संधि भटक गई है, जिसका अर्थ था कि एक कानून टूट गया है या जब एडमिरल्टी (पुलिस) ने कुछ योजनाएं और चित्र खो दिए, जिसमें मैकाविटी को पकड़ने की योजना थी गायब थे, बाद में उन्हें हॉल में या सीढ़ियों पर पाया गया लेकिन मैकाविटी गायब हो जाने के कारण उनकी जांच करना बेकार था। कवि ने आगे बताया कि जब नुकसान का खुलासा हुआ, तो सीक्रेट सर्विस ने कहा कि यह मैकाविटी ही था जिसने ऐसा किया था। लेकिन अब यह बेकार था क्योंकि वह पहले ही एक मील दूर था। उसे या तो कहीं आराम करते हुए या अपना अंगूठा चाटते हुए या कुछ गणनाएँ करने जैसे जटिल दीर्घकालिक योग करने में व्यस्त पाया जा सकता है।
सातवें छंद में कवि ने फिर कहा कि मैकाविटी जैसा कोई नहीं था क्योंकि उसके जैसी धोखेबाज, बेईमान, आत्मविश्वासी और आकर्षक कोई बिल्ली नहीं थी। वह कभी अकेले अपराध नहीं करता था, उसके साथ हमेशा एक बहाना और बचाव और एक या दो साथी होते थे। अपराध करने के बाद वह हमेशा की तरह तुरंत गायब हो गया। अंतिम कुछ पंक्तियों में कवि ने कहा कि मैकाविटी के साथी भी अपने अपराधों के कारण प्रसिद्ध थे। उन्होंने उनके नामों का भी उल्लेख किया जो मुंगोजेरी और ग्रिडलबोन थे। हालाँकि, वे हर समय मैकाविटी के एजेंट मात्र थे, उन्होंने मुख्य अपराधी मैकाविटी के संचालन को नियंत्रित किया ।
Video Explanation of Macavity: The Mystery Cat
Macavity: The Mystery Cat Poem Explanation
Poem :
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw-
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime – Macavity’s not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
Word meaning
Defy- flout, disobey, challenge
Bafflement– bewilderment, perplexity
Scotland Yard- headquarters of London Police
Explanation of the above poem : Macavity: The Mystery Cat was a poem about Macavity who was a cat. In the first stanza of the poem the poet T.S Eliot introduced Macavity as a mysterious cat and like any notorious criminal, he had a nickname: Hidden Paw. He was also a master criminal. The poet explained further in the poem why Macavity was called a mystery cat. Macavity disobeyed the laws enforced in the country. The police force, referred to as Scotland yard was constantly confused by his ability to disappear without a trace. The headquarters of London Police were unable to understand him. The Flying Squad which was running after him always failed to catch him as he was faster than them. The Flying Squad was known for its capability to reach a crime scene quickly but they were also sad and felt hopeless because Macavity was always faster than the squad. He committed crimes, broke the rules, and indulged in mischievous activities, but he was so clever that he was never caught.
Poem :
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime – Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air –
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!
Word meaning
Law of gravity– every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
Levitation- capacity to rise and float in air (esp. by magic)
Fakir- a holy man who lives by begging
Explanation of the above poem : In the second stanza of the poem the poet explained how Macavity was known for defying laws and he had disobeyed every human law, including the law of gravity. The poet talked about the capacity of a cat to position itself as he fell so that he could land on its feet. The speaker exaggerated the cat’s ability by calling it “powers of levitation” by which he meant the capacity to rise and float in air. The poet didn’t actually mean that the cat could stay afloat in the air but instead he described the cat’s ability to fall on its feet. The poet compared a cat’s ability to a fakir and explained how even a fakir would be taken aback by his ability to tackle a fall. Fakir was basically a holy man who lived by begging and could never recreate the cat’s righting reflex. The poet again said when one would reach the scene of crime Macavity would not be there as he was really fast. You could look for him in the basement or up in the sky, but Macavity was so skilled that he would have vanished from the site. Macavity displayed more tricks. Macavity could easily disappear into thin air without leaving any trace behind. He committed a crime, but when you got to the crime scene, Macavity was nowhere to be seen.
Poem :
Macavity’s a ginger cat; he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thoughts, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movement like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Word meaning
Ginger- tall and thin
Domed– shaped like a dome
Explanation of the above poem : In the third stanza of the poem the poet described the cat’s physical appearance and he called him a ginger cat because he was tall and skinny and his eyes were sunken in. His eyebrows were deeply creased as if he was thinking and his head was considerably arched. His fur looked dusty as Macavity rarely paid attention to it, and his whiskers were unkempt. He was full of dust due to the constant ignorance of his skin. Macavity used to sway his head like a snake. He was always alert though one might feel that he was sleeping but he was always wide awake. Macavity was always on alert and that explained his ability to remain hidden from Scotland Yard.
Poem :
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square –
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
Word meaning
Fiend- an evil spirit
Feline- (of or like) an animal of the cat family
Depravity- corruption, wickedness
Explanation of the above poem : In the fourth stanza of the poem the poet said, “Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity” and then he explained why there was no one like Macavity. The poet called him the incarnation of evil. According to the poet, Macavity was a terrible criminal and was a devil in the shape of a cat. The poet called him a ‘depraved monster’ by which he meant that was an animal with no moral values. He could be found on the street or square but when you wanted to punish him, you could never find him. Macavity was known for his ability to remain hidden, it didn’t mean that he was always in his hideout. Macavity could be seen in private streets or crowded places, but once his crime was detected, he escaped and became the mystery cat and he was impossible to locate. Then again the poet said “Macavity’s not there!”
Poem :
He’s outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!
Word meaning
Outwardly- superficially
Larder- a cupboard used for storing food
Rifled- searched thoroughly
Stifled- suffocated, strangled
Trellis- framework to support climbing plants
Explanation of the above poem : In the fifth stanza of the poem the poet said that Macavity was superficially respected by people because he cheated at cards in such a way that nobody could discover. The poet further explained that Macavity’s footprints were not found in any file of Scotland Yard. He committed every crime. Whenever he looted the food from a cupboard used for storing food, searched thoroughly and stole jewels and milk, whenever he suffocated a dog or broke into a greenhouse or architecture, he quickly vanished away and was never to be found. The poet said that whenever Macavity committed crime it never remained there. Macavity cheated everyone but never left anything back.
Poem :
And when the foreign Office find a Treaty’s gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair –
But it’s useless to investigate , – Macavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
‘It must have been Macavity!’ but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.
Word meaning
Treaty’s gone astray- agreement contravened or violated
Disclosed- revealed, made known
a-licking of thumbs– evaluation of success of one’s deed
Explanation of the above poem : In the sixth stanza of the poem the poet said when the Foreign Officer found that a treaty was gone astray by which he meant that a law was broken or when the Admiralty (police) lost some plans and drawings in which there were plans to catch Macavity were missing they found them later on in the hall or on the stairs but it was useless to investigate as Macavity vanished away. The poet further explained that when the loss was disclosed, the Secret Service would say that it was Macavity who did this. But now it was useless as he was already a mile away. One could find him either resting somewhere or licking his thumb or engaged in doing complicated long division sums like doing some calculations.
Poem :
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place –
MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
Word meaning
Deceitfulness– fraudulence, dishonesty
Suavity– treachery; he is deceitful but conceals it with great skill and elegance
Alibi- excuse, defence
Explanation of the above poem : In the seventh stanza, the poet again said that there was no one like Macavity as there was no cat as fraudulent, dishonest, confident and charming as him. He never did crimes alone, he always had an alibi and defence and one or two companions with him. He quickly vanished away as always after committing crime.
Poem :
And they say that all the Cats whose
wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!
Explanation of the above poem : In the last few lines the poet said that even Macavity’s companions were also well known because of their crimes. He mentioned their names as well which were Mungojerrie and Griddlebone. However, they were just agents for the Macavity all the time. They just controlled the operations of the master criminal- Macavity.
Poetic/Literary Devices
Following poetic/literary devices have been used in the poem Macavity the Mystery Cat:
- Rhyme scheme – aabbccdd
- Personification: Personification is giving human characteristics to animals or non-living things. Here in the poem, Macavity is personified as he does all the things like humans. The poet has personified the cat by using the pronoun ‘he’ instead of ‘it’ for it.
- Anaphora: –Anaphora is the repetition of a word at the start of consecutive lines like
And – ‘And’ his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
‘And’ when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or – ‘Or’ when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
‘Or’ the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair - Alliteration: It is the repetition of consonant sound in the line. e.g. “Macavity’s Mystery”, “head is highly”, “side to side” etc.
- Symbolism: The poet uses various symbols in the poem. e.g. his appearance symbolises his villainous character, footprints symbolise his name. The poet has called Macavity ‘a monster of depravity’.
- Simile: It is a common poetic device in which the subject of the poem is described by comparing it to another object or subject, using ‘as’ or ‘like’. The poet has compared the movement of the Macavity’s head to the movements of a snake.
- Allusion- An allusion is when an author or poet makes an indirect reference to some idea, figure, other text, place, or event that originates from outside. The poet is referring to Napoleon in the last line.
- Repetition – The poet repeats words and lines in order to emphasize on the seriousness of the issue that Macavity always escapes from the crime scene.
- Hyperbole – The use of exaggeration like reference to flying squad, Scotland Yard and fakir
BSEB Class 12 English Lessons Explanation
- Indian Civilization and Culture Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Bharat is my Home Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- A Pinch of Snuff Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- I have a Dream Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Ideas That Have Helped Mankind Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- The Artist Summary Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- A Child is Born Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- How Free Is The Press Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- The Earth Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- India Through a Traveller’s Eyes Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- The proposal Summary, Explanation, Word meanings
- Sweetest Love, I Do Not Goe Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Song of Myself Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Now the leaves are falling fast Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Ode To Autumn Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- An Epitaph Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- The Soldier Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Macavity The Mystery Cat Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Fire-Hymn Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- Snake Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
- My Grandmother’s House Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings
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