Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity, Webster and H.W. Answer: But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there! Yes, It seems like the poet is fond of cats. This is the second book in the Jack McEvoy series, which has nothing to do with the Bosch series. T. S. Eliot was a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and the character of Macavity is a literary allusion to Professor Moriarty, the criminal mastermind in the Sherlock series. (vi) What elements are obvious in the poem? (ii) What is the impact of its powerful ‘levitation’? (ii) He could be recognized from his eyes which are deeply sunken in. The poet here compares a child in school as a bird in a cage. The boy says he does not find peace sitting under this tree also. Having read the poem, try to guess whether the poet is fond of cats. Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw - His owner and true name are unknown. [16], Within the storyline of the musical, Macavity makes several attempts to scare the tribe. [11] He kidnaps Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle leader, and attempts to abduct Demeter, one of two cats who sing about him. (i) The mystery cat was called as Macavity. Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw— For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law. , (iv) The poet described its movement like a snake. Simile – like Macavity Metaphor – a monster Personification — ‘He’. (i) What is the name of the mystery cat? According to the poem, even when the Secret Service decides that Macavity was behind a loss, they can't catch him, as "he's a mile away", "...[or] engaged in doing complicated long division sums". Sandra Choron, Harry Choron and Arden Moore, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, "An introduction to Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats", "Faber & Faber Brings Eliot's 'Cats' to a New Format", "Business of the House: 23 Jun 2005: House of Commons debates - TheyWorkForYou", Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere, Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording, Cats: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack, The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Macavity&oldid=1000765097, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 January 2021, at 16:28. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. He might have used a cat in order to create a negative character who is a criminal and escape easily from police. He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair: For when they reach the scene of crime—Macavity's not there! When Demeter and Bombalurina (a flirty queen cat who is close friends with Demeter)[12] sing about him, they do so in a sensuous manner, suggesting he is more familiar to them. Answer: Question 3. (i) Why did the poet took the name thrice in a line? This culminates in his abduction of Old Deuteronomy, after which two queen cats, Bombalurina and Demeter, sing about him. He is often portrayed with very long claws and wild dark hair. Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect? (i) No, Macavity is not a cat. Paraphrase: Macavity is a devil in the cat’s shape. He was never caught. Top 100 famous and best poems of all time about life, love and friendship. Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw— For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law. [5] The word 'cavity' also implies a hole or void or absence of something, and Macavity is described in the poem as being "not there" at the time or location of any crime. His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed; Once again, this description is a close parallel to that of Professor Moriarty: His appearance was quite familiar to me. He is so confident in his manner that whenever the crime is discovered, Macavity disappears without leaving a single trace. And when you reach the scene of crime – Macavity’s not there! He never combs his whiskers. Doyle wrote that Moriarty "is never caught" as at the moment of the crime he is probably "working out problems on a blackboard ten miles away" (The Adventure of the Final Problem). In this line, Macavity breaks the law of gravity. Munkustrap and Alonzo come to her defense and, in a dramatic cat fight, battle him. He then returns disguised as Old Deuteronomy, but is unmasked by Demeter. He is extremely tall and thin, his forehead domes out in a white curve, and his two eyes are deeply sunken in his head...his face protrudes forward and is forever oscillating from side to side in a curiously reptilian fashion. He might appear sleeping but he was wide awake. Read more Honey Dew Poem Summaries here. Throughout the film, he kidnapped all the other contestants so that he would be made the Jellicle choice by default. She has been awarded the CWA Dagger, Nero, Macavity and Barry Awards, as well as two each of the Arthur Ellis and Dilys Awards. (v) Simile – movements like a snake. Macavity is too clever to be caught and he is nowhere near at the crime spot. [22][23] Macavity's fur is reported to be completely white, he has a green left eye and a blue right eye, and he wears a purple collar. And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake. Answer: Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin; End: (v) What does the poet mean by calling the cat a ‘monster of depravity’? Confronted and surrounded by other tribe members, he manages to escape. Macavity described as a ginger cat. [5] Similarly, Sherlock Holmes describes Moriarty as "the Napoleon of Crime" in The Adventure of the Final Problem and a "Napoleon gone wrong" in The Valley of Fear.[3][4]. 6. Therefore, he outwitted the world’s top investigation agencies. He moves like a snake and is always wide awake. He never combs his whiskers. Paraphrase: Macavity is a mystery cat because no crime agency was ever able to arrest this criminal mastermind during or after his committing a crime. The quick movements of a cat and its mysterious eyes might have influenced him to create this evil character in the form of a cat. (ii) The poet did not mean Macavity as a cat. 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: As seen in the film production and most stage performances, he appears to be capable of performing some form of hypnosis. Macavity is a tall and thin ginger cat whose eyebrows are deep with lines. (iv) ‘aa bb’ is the rhyming scheme in the poem. (iii) He could be available anywhere like in a street or in a square but not at a crime scene. (ii) He is a master criminal who fled from the crime scene. We have provided Macavity: The Mystery Cat Class 8 English MCQs Questions with Answers to help students understand the concept very well. (iv) How was its’movement described by the poet? (I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone) His brows are deeply lining as a result of continuous planning of crime. The poet compares the school with a tree under which children sit and learn. Polish author Maciej Wojtyszko's children's books feature a character named Macavity the Cat (polish Kot Makawity), a criminal mastermind who loses a chess duel with dog detective Kajetan Chrumps and is then persuaded to become Chrumps' assistant. Answer: And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the flying squad’s despair: For when they reach the scene of crime – Macavity’s not there! Which law is Macavity breaking in the light of the comment above? He calls Macavity a ‘friend’ and a ‘monster’ because he might have wanted to portray an evil side. The Macavity number develops from a bluesy duet into a big female ensemble routine.[17]. He is a puzzle for every detective agency in the world including Scotland Yard and Flying Squad who are specialized investigating crime. "[20], After Harold Pinter received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature, Mary Liddell of The Guardian said: "Pinter has become the Macavity of English letters".[21]. The role of Macavity is usually played by the same actor as Plato (a chorus cat who notably does a pas de deux with Victoria during the Jellicle Ball). He possesses supernatural powers which allow him to levitate up in the air. (ii) What was unusual about the cat? For when they reach the scene of crime –  Macavity’s not there! Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity, He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity. His nicknames include: the Mystery Cat, the Hidden Paw, and the Napoleon of Crime. (i) What did the poet say about Macavity in the above stanza? Answer: Macavity is the only real villain in the musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber.