Summary and composition

Here, we will focus on the summary and composition of the poem “A Case of Murder” by Vernon Scannell.

Summary

The poem “A Case of Murder” by Vernon Scannell describes an event from the life of a nine-year-old boy who is left home alone in a basement flat with a black cat.

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Composition

Both outer composition (stanzas, verses, graphical expression) and inner composition (beginning, subdivision, course) are important analytical elements when discussing a poem, as they can help you get an overall understanding of the lyrical text.

Outer composition

The poem is structured in a single 47 lines-stanza, with verses that have mixed rhyme patterns. Sometimes, the lines rhyme alternatively and other times they seem to rhyme in couplets such as in the following example:

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Inner composition

When looking at the inner composition of a poem, it is a good idea to look at the title in relation to the text. In this case, the title indicates that the poem is going to be about a murder, but the choice of words is quite formal, which makes readers think the title is either ironical or that the poem is going to be quite solemn. Upon reading the poem, we realise that the title is rather ironical, as the poem is about the murder of a cat.

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