History on The Great Cat Massacre

THE GREAT CAT MASSACRE Dehumanization and repression of workers How Danton’s use of primary sources explain the conditions of the old regime France - Lack of social mobility - Economic shifts that led to the eventual start of the French revolution Is the old regime healthy and stable or in decline How do the chapters reflect the seismic changes in the French Culture? Danton’s The Great Cat Massacre utilizes the historical analysis revolving around a central narrative to depict the eccentric beliefs and the cultural events that manifest in the daily lives of people in France at the onset of the modern era. He tries to draw a thin line between the rural and urban characters of French culture based on the popular literary descriptions. The novel utilizes primary sources such as police records, folklore, and various writings from the bourgeois class to render a clear description of the modern French ontology (Darnton). The titular essay depicts his unique analytical method using Nicholas Contats' autobiography, which was initially a printmaker’s assistant and later became a journeyman. Contat's narrative mainly revolves around the incident when his apprentices butchered mistress’ cat. This event has a close connection to real life in France, as butchering of cats was not unusual since it served a symbolic purpose in their rural festivals. This can be attributed to the fact that there was little ethical foundation guiding the treatment of animals at that particular time. The subversive act of maiming the cat and depicted some rhetorical power on the support relationship that entailed governance at that particular time. The embedded meaning cumulatively contributes to the thick description referred to by Danton’s, and it outlines how a particular description justifies a historical truth (Darnton). Another prevalent observation in Danton’s the Great Cat Massacre is the critique revolving around resistance, which is a common narrative due to class resistance. They demonstrate that resistance mostly emerges at times of complex and accidental moments, As opposed to concerted or inevitable revolutionary or radical occurrences (Darnton). According to the book, mysteries and secrets of the great massacre are revealed during the ancient times for stories developed which keeps on the reader to get entertained. For instance, in the beginning chapter of the book “Peasant tell tales: the meaning of mother goose” gives a historical overview for different tales presented in the book that was mostly narrated to the young. The tales were interesting, with good conclusions and morals to the children during the times. Hence, each gruesome truth for every tale is revealed, and it included the Gretel and Hansel, sleeping beauty, Cinderella and more others. Thus, every story ended horribly, despite the real story of the book that was moral in the text was hidden (Darnton). For example, the little red riding hood portrays the moral story part signifying the essence of girls as why they should be far away from the wolves after one in the story is eaten in the little red riding hood. Further, we realize the present in the story and moral concepts. Every character in the story represents or acts as symbol and reality to someone. The wolf portrays a character of someone in the book a man who takes advantage of other girls and rapes them, then killing. The young maiden is presented by the little red riding hood portraying his character as an innocent and naïve in noticing any mishaps of his grandmother and falls into the trap of a wolf. In workers' revolts, Darnton tries to discuss the great cat massacre event that was committed by the apprentices' group in the late 1730s in the state of Paris. The story develops from an account of the one named Nicolas, who was working in the stop known as R.S. Severin. Hence, the book discusses more on the lives of the apprentices living in the shops how difficult they were and the mistreatment they faced from their masters in the period. In those times, it seemed to be a strategy developed to keep the cats since the masters in the era saw it as passion for keeping them. For example, one of the bourgeois had kept 25 cats and painted. In some cases, the apprentices developed their problems from the cats that were astray, which would make sounds at night and then cause a lot of noise, preventing the apprentices from sleeping and continue working even when exhausted. Hence, a decision on one night by Jerome and Leveille was made to resolve the problem. Leveille developed a talent in mimicking and could go to the master’s rooms to behave like a cat to prevent them from sleeping. Thus, the following day the masters ordered the apprentices to remove the kids as it was done (Darnton). The work of Danton’s is essential for philosophy in various ways. It provides great knowledge as a historical example in the essence of trying to interpret various events that had occurred and the mentality developed in others.