"February" by Margaret Atwood

First off, this poem is very cleverly written. It starts out with the importance of "winter." The poem begins with a negative undertone. Typically, when one thinks of winter, we usually think of a state of being dormant and restless. However, by the end of the poem, the narrator talks about how anxious he is for "spring." He says, "make it be spring." This just changes the tone of the poem altogther. Spring represents hope and awakening. Perhaps the excitement of spring and "celebrating increase" have helped the narrator lose the anger and resentment shown at the beginning of the poem.

When it comes to symbolism, I am convinced that the cat represents out thoughts and conscience. So many of us are distracted when it comes to actually doing our work. So many of us are living for the wrong reasons, such as sex, recognition, territorialism, and possessions, just to name a few. We don't focus on what positive things lie in front of us until they are gone. In the winter, we can feel a sense of being trapped. Sometimes we even are overcome with a sense of depression because in the winter, we never see the sun. That's why I think the author incorporated the line that that the cat jumps on top of the narrator " to tell whether or not I'm dead." Also, I love the incorporation of the hockey in this. It's almost as if the narrator is talking to me while watching a hockey game. That's why the author includes the phrases of  "he shoots, he scores!" Personally, I feel that the author did this to showcase how distracted human kind is. We are blind to what is good in our lives. We are blinded by the beauty of God's creation because of society misses what's important in life because the world's focuses are on "sex," "hockey," (sports) and other "possessions."