Formalist approach to the ode to the death of a favorite cat (favori)The formal analysis of poetry helps to reveal the underlying meaning of a poem. This technique does not focus on the author of the poem, nor what was happening in history at the time the poem was written, but instead emphasizes the actual meaning of the work. Formal analysis brings the literary work to life and allows the poem to speak for itself. For example, in Thomas Grays' poem "Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat, Drowned in a Bin of Golden Fish," careful attention to word choice, structure, and rhyme scheme illuminates the cat's actions who lurks. The aspect of writing poetry is word choice. Thomas Gray did a great job using descriptive words, as well as using assonance and alliteration, throughout this poem to enhance the imagery. For example, in the first stanza, Gray describes the cat as being “thoughtful”(5) as he watches the fish below. This is followed in the second stanza when Gray uses alliteration and assonance to describe t...