Love for Cats

Okay, "February" was definitely the oddest poem in the unit by far. I know I mentioned that Langston Hughes' diction was disturbing, but Margaret Atwood has him beat! Lines such as "small pink bumhole" and "burped up meat and musty sofas" made me want to hurl. The funny thing is, this poem is all about the downfall of love...for the most part.

From the standpoint I took of the poem, due to the discussion in class, the central theme of "February" is how the display of love affects the lonely. Throughout the poem, Atwood uses comfortable lines followed by uncomfortable lines, bringing the audience back and forth. For example, "He settles on my chest, breathing his breath of burped-up meat and musty sofas." This line starts out by describing a cuddly cat, followed by a nasty action of the cat. In my opinion, the variations of lines used represents the speaker's opinion of love. At first, it is warm and comforting, and then it "does [one] in." Also, February is seen as a month of the celebration of love and relationships. So, for those who are lonely, or for those who don't believe in love, February can be a rough three weeks; this is similar to the feelings of the speaker. However, at the end of the poem, the speaker shifts into a positive outlook on love where the speaker calls the "cat" to action (which is really the speaker talking to themself), advising it to "celebrate" and "make it be spring." I do not think that the speaker is actually optimistic about love, I think they are trying to convince themselves it is for the better.