Dad and the Cat and the Tree

Introduction

This morning a cat got

Stuck in our tree.

Dad said, “Right, just

Leave it to me.”

The tree was wobbly,

The tree was tall.

Mum said, “For goodness’

Sake don’t fall!”

“Fall?” scoffed Dad,

“A climber like me?

Child’s play, this is!

You wait and see.”

He got out the ladder

From the garden shed.

It slipped. He landed

In the flower bed.

“Never mind,” said Dad,

Brushing the dirt

Off his hair and his face

And his trousers and his shirt,

“We’ll try Plan B. Stand

Out of the way!”

Mum said, “Don’t fall

Again, O.K.?”

“Fall again?” said Dad.

“Funny joke!”

Then he swung himself up

On a branch. It broke.

Dad landed wallop

Back on the deck.

Mum said, “Stop it,

You’ll break your neck!”

Rubbish!” said Dad.

“Now we’ll try Plan C.

Easy as winking

To a climber like me!” Then he climbed up high

On the garden wall.

Guess what?

He didn’t fall!

He gave a great leap

And he landed flat

In the crook of the tree-trunk

Right on the cat!

The cat gave a yell

And sprang to the ground,

Pleased as Punch to be

Safe and sound.

So it’s smiling and smirking,

Smug as can be,

But poor old Dad’s

Still

Stuck

Up

The

Tree!

KIT WRIGHT

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Kit Wright is a well-known British novelist who was born on June 17, 1944. He has written over twenty-five novels, including for both kids and adults. He wrote the poem "Dad and the Cat and the Tree." The poem has fourteen stanzas in the form of quatrains. The poem describes an incident that happened in the poet's garden when a cat got stuck on his tree.

Conclusion

One fine morning, an abandoned cat climbed up the poet's tree. Without assistance, it would not have been possible to bring it down. The tree was rather tall and wobbly at the same time. Poet's father courageously decided to save the cat and took the necessary precautions.  His wife tried to warn him about potential dangers, but he ignored her. He was quite confident in his climbing skills and believed that bringing the cat down would be a simple game for him. His father went to the shed and got the ladder

But as he approached, the ladder began to slide away from him. He landed on his back on the flowerbed. But he refused to give up. He removed the dirt from his clothing as well as his face by brushing it away. He got ready to put his second Plan B into action. He was certain that this attempt would be fruitful.

He climbed halfway up the tree trunk and reclined on a branch. But as he continued to put pressure on it, it eventually gave way, and he fell once again. But his father was adamant and decided to go with Plan C.

Poet's mother was concerned that her husband might hurt his neck. He climbed the garden wall securely. From there, he leaped to the bends in the tree trunk, landing directly on top of the cat. The terrified cat made a sharp cry before collapsing to the floor. There was no harm done to it. It was happy and secure and thus smiling and smirking. However, instead of the cat, the poor elderly father ended up stranded in the tree

Explanation

The poem presents a funny picture of the acts that are taken by older people.  The proud father climbed a tree to rescue a cat, who got stuck on the poet's tree. On the other hand, he was made fun of by the onlookers to become a subject of mockery. The poem makes use of the rhyme pattern AB CB throughout its whole. The narrative of the poem is both hilarious and poetic. The tone of the poem is joyful and laughable.

The poet recalls an event in his yard in which a cat got stuck in a tree and how it couldn't get down without assistance. The poet's father gives his word that he will carry out the task. The tree is rather tall and fragile. The poet's mother had cautioned him not to climb the ladder, but he ignored her, went ahead, and ended up falling.

He washed his hands, face, and outfit with the intention of starting again. In response, his mother expressed more concern about his well-being. Father mocked the mother and took her warning as a joke.  However, as per Plan B, he tried to swing himself to a branch, but the branch snapped under his weight, and he fell to the ground with a loud noise. Mom attempted once again to step in, and this time she requested him to stop since it may hurt his neck.

Even though Dad was furious, he continued to go with Plan C. He said it was as simple as winking for him. He sprang and jumped up on the garden wall in one swift motion. He managed to avoid falling this time by landing on the cat instead. The cat was able to land on the ground safely. Even though it screamed when the father fell on her, she was glad that she landed safe and was smiling. It smirked, but dad ended up getting trapped up in the tree. Though he had good intentions of rescuing the cat, he ended up becoming a comic source of amusement for everyone. In this manner the poem becomes hilarious.

Conclusion

The efforts of the poet's father to rescue an abandoned cat stuck on a tree become the storyline of the poem. The poem ends with a funny and ironic climax that makes the readers laugh. The scenario was made much more ironic by the fact that the father had climbed the tree in order to rescue the cat. Now that the cat had slid down from the tree on its own, the poor father was stuck up on the tree.

To conclude the poem simply offers a lesson that we should never be over-confident and should be able to foresee the result of our actions, or it might lead to problems. Also, the poem emphasises that we should not ignore anyone’s concerns or advice and have to respect other suggestions and consider them in the right manner.

FAQs

Qns 1. What was plan A, and was it successful?

Ans. One fine morning, a cat climbed up the poet's tree. Without assistance, it was not possible to come down. The tree was rather tall and wobbly at the same time. Poet's father courageously decided to save the cat with a plan and took the necessary precautions. He was quite confident in his climbing skills and believed that bringing the cat down would be a simple game for him. His father went to the shed and got the ladder. But as he approached it, it began to slide away from him, and he fell down. Because of this, plan A was a failure.

Qns 2. What was Plan B, and what were its consequences?

Ans. Poets father refused to give up even though plan A was unsuccessful. He decides to go ahead with plan B mocking his wife’s warning. However, as per his plan B, he tried to swing himself to a branch due to his weight the branch snapped, and he fell to the ground with a loud noise.

Qns 3. How did the narrator’s father dismiss his wife’s warnings?

Ans. When the narrator's father was warned by his wife for the first time, he was greatly surprised since he believed himself to be a good climber who could not fall. The narrator's father ignored his wife's warnings because he thought he was unbeatable. When his wife warned him for the second time, he laughed at her and found her advice to be nothing but a joke. His wife again warned him for the third time as she was concerned that her husband might hurt his neck.  But his father was adamant and said the task was as simple as winking for him.

Qns 4. Why was Mother afraid about Father?

Ans. The poet's father was an overconfident person. He himself got ready to bring the cat down from the tree. He considered himself to be an excellent climber and said climbing is a game for children. The mother was worried thinking the father would end up hurting himself.

Qns 5. Was Plan C a success? What went wrong then?

Ans. Plan C worked because the father did not use the ladder this time. He instead jumped from the garden wall.  But his plan didn't work because he jumped on the cat. Ironically the cat managed to get down on its own and the father got stuck on the tree.