A Cat and an Orc

Cat

by J.R.R. Tolkien

The fat cat on the mat

may seem to dream

of nice mice that suffice

for him, or cream;

but he free, maybe, walks in thought

unbowed, proud, where loud

roared and fought

his kin, lean and slim,

or deep in denin the East feasted on beasts

and tender men.

The giant lion with iron

claw in paw,

and huge ruthless tooth

in gory jaw;

the pard dark-starred,

fleet upon feet,

that oft soft from aloft

leaps upon his meat

where woods loom in gloom —

far now they be,

fierce and free,

and tamed is he;

but fat cat on the mat

kept as a pet

he does not forget.

The poem Cat by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of my favorites both because I'm a fan of Tolkien, and because the theme of the poem seems very important to me. The cat spends his time dreaming of being a lion, which is fierce and proud, and essentially the pinnacle of cathood. While the cat is obviously not going to become a lion, at the end of the poem it says the cat does not forget. I think the important theme here is to have a dream, even if unobtainable. Too often, people will say that you need to be realistic and stop having unachievable dreams. However, even if your dream, the "pinnacle of cathood" is out of reach, striving for it means that you're always being the best you can. You don't have to reach a goal for it to be worthwhile, rather, a goal you can't achieve means that if you're working towards it, you'll be improving endlessly, and in the end, what else matters?