Jubilate Agno

"Jubilate Agno" is a very interesting poem as it combines the mundane topic of a cat with a very formal style of writing. While it is definitely exaggerating the virtues of a cat, I think that it is very clever with its references to Scripture and obvious hyperbole. However, while the author is definitely trying to be funny, I imagine that if he was locked up for years with only a cat, the cat would become very important to him as one of the only objects of his attention. So while the author is exaggerating about how "blessed" (69) the cat is, I'm sure the author believes that there is some element of truth in his praise of the cat. Most of the descriptions of the cat, while exaggerated, are based on fact, and would be very precious to a lonely prisoner. For example, the "ten degrees" that the cat "performs" (8) are totally true for most cats. Most cats "will not do destruction if [they] are well-fed" (31), and they "can creep" (74). This poem simply points out and expands on the virtues of any cat, and shows the affection of the author for his cat.

Rachel Means