"The Kitten" by Alexander Reid

"The Kitten" by Alexander Reid

1. Setting

   • Time
     • Set in past, "turning churn in the dairy", "jangle of harness", "iron-shod boots", "cobbles"
       • This gives the opening a pleasant, sleepy atmosphere that contrasts the attack to come.
     • Reid states no definite time, suggests a sense of timelessness- the events and emotions can take place anywhere, anytime.
   • Place
     • Set on a farm. Disposing of unwanted animals is what farming is about. Natural setting for the story as farms have plenty of places for cats to live, but are troubled by having too many around.
     • Note: Cats are useful for controlling the rat/mice population. BUT when cats aren't useful to man because there is "ower mony cats aboot", man considers it his right to dispose of them.
   • The setting provokes an important theme: does man have the right to destroy animals because they are a source of annoyance or inconvenience?

2. Sentence Structure

   • Many of his sentences begin with a p.p, suggests the events happen as the story is being read. The "action" word placed first is important as it heightens the sense of movement.
     • "Throwing the sack on the bank", "Panting with his exertion", "Stooping, he could see the eyes", "Kneeling, his last stone gone"
   • Some sentences are set apart as their own paragraphs to add emphasis to their effect on the reader.
     • "But so far the honours lay with the antagonist" ensures the reader is aware that the kitten has the advantage at that point in the story
     • "The thatch of the farmhouse, dry as tinder, was aflare" is a shocking sentence and set apart to have maximum impact. It also heightens the enormity of what the hired man has done.

3. Imagery

   • Simile
     • This is an effective comparison because it suggests the intense sound made by both the gunshot and a branch breaking off. It's also useful because guns introduce the thought of death, one of the main themes.
   • Metaphor
   • Use of Dialect
   • Use of Contrast

4. Alexander Reid

5. Word Choice

6. Characters