Read the selection below from the poem “the king sends three cats to guinevere” by marjorie allen seiffert and answer the question that follows.

i send you three grey cats with gifts—
(for uniformity of metaphor,
since bacchus, satan, and the hangman
are not contemporaneous in my mythology)
i send you three grey cats with gifts,
queen guinevere,
to warn you, sleekly, silently
to pay the forfeit.

source: seiffert, marjorie allen. “the king sends three cats to guinevere.” blackcatpoems. com. black cat poems, n. d. web. 7 july 2011.

what is the author’s purpose in the above passage, and how does she achieve it through her organization and choice of details?

The author's wants to explore the infidelity of Guinevere by the eyes of King Arthur and the author uses the sarcastic tone to achieve this.

Further Explanation:

The poem "The King Sends Three Cats to Guinevere" has been written by Marjorie Allen Seiffert. The poet speaks about the act of infidelity of Queen Guinevere. The poem has been written according to King Arthur's perspective. The queen's act of infidelity and the anger which it has brought of the king can be easily accessed through the lines of the poem. The poem has been written in a free verse format. The tone of the poem is sarcastic. The poet had used the figurative languages in a very efficient way. The imagery and allusions from the biblical references has been used in the poem. The poet has mentioned the term 'metaphor' in the last stanza of the poem. This makes the poem in a unique piece of art altogether. The readers are assumed to read the poem in the way the poet wants them to read. The poet wants the readers to understand biblical references and hidden meaning. The color of the 'cats' and their presence creates a mysterious presence in the poem. The cats symbolize the prevailing of the evil and at the same time, they also represent the silent observer. King Arthur has observed the activities of the Queen and hence has decided to punish her for the deeds. The poem takes the form of a warning letter to the Queen. The ending lines highlight that the queen has to pay by giving her life as a punishment.

Learn more:

1. During his party in chapter 3 which is an example of the gossip about Gatsby?

2. When should a comma be used between adjectives?

Answer details:

Grade: High School

Subject: English

Chapter: "The King Sends Three Cats to Guinevere" by Marjorie Allen Seiffert

Keywords:

The King Sends Three Cats to Guinevere, Marjorie Allen Seiffert, infidelity, Queen Guinevere .