Macavity The Mystery Cat Summary and Notes | CBSE Class 8 English Honeydew

According to the CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, this chapter has been removed from NCERT Class 8 English HoneyDew Poems Notes & Summary textbook.

Summary of Macavity – The Mystery Cat

CBSE Class 8 English HoneyDew book Chapter 3 contains Macavity: The Mystery Cat poem. It is written by T.S. Eliot. Here, we have provided the summary and explanatory notes of CBSE Class 8 English Honeydew Macavity The Mystery Cat Poem. By going through the Class 8 English Notes, students will easily understand the meaning, central idea and theme of the poem. Subject experts have created these notes exclusively for students’ English exam preparation. Studying from CBSE Notes will help in quick revision and in fetching high scores during the exam.

Students who want to increase their scores in the writing section of the English paper must practice the CBSE Essays on various topics which are most likely to be asked in the exam.

CBSE Class 8 English Honeydew Macavity The Mystery Cat Poem Summary

In this poem, the poet personifies a cat named Macavity. He has compared the cat with many human-like qualities. He says that the cat disobeys the law, and the police force is unable to catch him. He further describes Macavity as a special cat as he can float in the air and possesses various other magical powers. The complete poem is based on describing Macavity, a perfect mystery cat.

CBSE Class 8 English Honeydew Macavity The Mystery Cat Poem Explanation Notes

Students can go through the poem and its detailed explanation below.

Macavity: The Mystery Cat Poem Explanation

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:

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 powers of levitation would make a fakir

stare,

And when you reach the scene of crime —

Macavity’s not there!

You may seek him in the basement, you

may look up in the air —

But I tell you once and once again,

Macavity’s not there!

Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and

thin;

You would know him if you saw him, for his

eyes are sunken in.

His brow is deeply lined with thought, his

head is highly domed;

His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.

He sways his head from side to side, with movements

like a snake;

And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,

For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.

You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in

the square —

But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!

T.S. ELIOT

The poet describes the story of a cat, Macavity. He is also known as Hidden Paw. He is a master criminal who can break the law. Even the Scotland Yard police and a flying squad of England fail to catch him. Macavity is the mastermind and does not leave any evidence on the crime scene. Due to this, the police never succeed in catching him.

In the second stanza, the poet says that Macavity is unique. There is no one quite like Macavity. He breaks every human law and even the law of nature. His ability to float in the air without any physical support makes a fakir wonder about his power. Surprisingly, when people reach the crime scene, they cannot find him. The poet elaborates that neither can he be found in the basement nor in the air. Macavity runs away from the crime scene extremely fast.

In this stanza, the poet describes the physical appearance of Macavity. He says that Macavity is a ginger cat. He is very tall and thin. His eyes are sunken, and his brows are deeply wrinkled. His head is round like a dome. The coat of Macavity is full of dust. His hair is uncombed. His head moves from side to side, making movements like a snake. When you think he is half asleep, he is in fact, wide awake.

The poet says that there is no one like Macavity. He is a cruel animal in a cat’s shape. He is a monster of dishonesty and immoral behaviour. You can meet him in the street, or you may see him in the open ground. However, when a crime is committed, you won’t find Macavity there.

The summary and the explanatory notes of CBSE Class 8 English Macavity The Mystery Cat Poem will help students in their exam preparation. They can also have a look at the essay on republic day and essay on the constitution of India. Going through the essays will help them in preparing the writing section of the English paper.