Reaction Paper
Reaction Paper
Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Hanging of the Mouse”, places animals in the roles of humans in reference to an execution. The writer uses animals to replace humans to possibly convey a message or point of view towards the death penalty. In the story, the mouse is being executed for what we believe is some sort of crime. It isn’t clear whether or not the mouse actually committed a crime, but we are led to believe that an act occurred in which caused the mouse to be executed on this particular day. The writer doesn’t convey their opinion on capital punishment or the death penalty. As the story plays out, all the writer is doing is telling a story of a mouse and incorporating all these different animals. Every animal has a different role. And each role is specific to want happens in a hanging. “A raccoon, wearing the traditional black mask, was the executioner….A large praying mantis was in charge of the religious end of the ceremonies.” (Barnet, Cain, & Burto, 2010, p. 1309) Is the writer trying to tell the reader something? It isn’t clear, but the writer does convey the hardship of watching such a thing occur. Most of the animals have a difficult time watching the hanging. “It was all so touching that a cat, who had brought her child in her mouth, shed several large tears. They rolled down on to the child’s back and he began to squirm and shriek, so that the mother thought that the sight of the hanging had perhaps been too much for him,” (Barnet, Cain, & Burto, 2010, p. 1310). Stereotypically mice fall prey to cats, and in this case, the cat feels remorse, sadness for what happens to the mouse. This theory can lead to a thought that not everyone who believes in capital punishment can withstand to watch the punishment be carried out. Reading through the story, the writer doesn’t have a specific reader in mind. This story can easily be read by a vast majority of different people and each one may have a different take on its
Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Hanging of the Mouse”, places animals in the roles of humans in reference to an execution. The writer uses animals to replace humans to possibly convey a message or point of view towards the death penalty. In the story, the mouse is being executed for what we believe is some sort of crime. It isn’t clear whether or not the mouse actually committed a crime, but we are led to believe that an act occurred in which caused the mouse to be executed on this particular day. The writer doesn’t convey their opinion on capital punishment or the death penalty. As the story plays out, all the writer is doing is telling a story of a mouse and incorporating all these different animals. Every animal has a different role. And each role is specific to want happens in a hanging. “A raccoon, wearing the traditional black mask, was the executioner….A large praying mantis was in charge of the religious end of the ceremonies.” (Barnet, Cain, & Burto, 2010, p. 1309) Is the writer trying to tell the reader something? It isn’t clear, but the writer does convey the hardship of watching such a thing occur. Most of the animals have a difficult time watching the hanging. “It was all so touching that a cat, who had brought her child in her mouth, shed several large tears. They rolled down on to the child’s back and he began to squirm and shriek, so that the mother thought that the sight of the hanging had perhaps been too much for him,” (Barnet, Cain, & Burto, 2010, p. 1310). Stereotypically mice fall prey to cats, and in this case, the cat feels remorse, sadness for what happens to the mouse. This theory can lead to a thought that not everyone who believes in capital punishment can withstand to watch the punishment be carried out. Reading through the story, the writer doesn’t have a specific reader in mind. This story can easily be read by a vast majority of different people and each one may have a different take on its
References: Barnet, S., Cain, W.E., & Burto, W. (2011). Literature for composition: Essays, stories, poems, and plays (9th ed.). New York: Longman