The Cat And The Painkiller (Supplementary)

The Cat and the Painkiller

(An Extract from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)
Mark Twain

Warm up

There has always been a close bonding between children and animals. Studies have revealed that living with pet animals increases empathy, compassion and self-esteem among children.

• Do you have a pet at home?
• If yes, what animal is it and what is its name?
• Did you have any humorous moments with it? If yes, what was it?
• How do you care for your pets?

A Note about the Novel

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a novel about a young boy Tom Sawyer growing up along the Mississippi River at St. Petersburg. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly and his brother Sid. He is up to all sorts of mischief, but very cleverly escapes the punishments given to him. He finds school life miserable. After Becky Thatcher’s arrival, he is a bit happy to go to school, but that happiness does not last long as Becky falls ill and stops coming. Bored, Tom, with his best friends Joe Harper and Huck, runs away to Jackson’s Island to become pirates. People think they are dead, but to everyone’s shock, they arrive at their own funeral.

“The Cat and the Painkiller” is one episode where Tom plays pranks on Aunt Polly, who loves him but does not show it outwardly.

The Cat and the Painkiller

Tom was dull and dejected because Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to school. The charm of life was gone; nothing but boredom remained. He put away his hoop and bat—there was no joy in them anymore. Aunt Polly was concerned. She was infatuated with patent medicines and new health methods—an incurable experimenter.

She tried all manners of remedies on Tom:

• Water treatment: cold baths at daylight, rubbing with a towel, wrapping in a wet sheet.
• Hot baths, sitz baths, shower baths, plunges.
• Slim oatmeal diet and blister-plasters.
• Daily doses of quack cure-alls.

Tom grew sadder and paler. Fed up, he professed to be fond of the pain-killer, asking for it so often that Aunt Polly finally told him to help himself.

Unbeknown to her, Tom was mending a crack in the sitting-room floor with the medicine.

One day, Peter, the aunt’s cat, came along purring, eyeing the teaspoon greedily.

Tom: “Don’t ask for it unless you want it, Peter.”
Peter signified he did want it.
Tom: “You better make sure.”
Peter was sure.
Tom: “Now you’ve asked for it… if you don’t like it, blame yourself.”

Tom poured the pain-killer down Peter’s throat.

Result:
Peter sprang two yards in the air, delivered a war-whoop, and raced round the room—banging furniture, upsetting flower-pots, dancing on hind feet in a frenzy, doing double somersaults, and finally sailing through the open window with the remaining flower-pots.

Aunt Polly stood petrified.

Aunt Polly: “Tom, what on earth ails that cat?”
Tom (gasping with laughter): “I don’t know, aunt… cats always act so when they’re having good time.”

Suspecting Tom, she cracked his head with her thimble and demanded the truth.

Tom: “I done it out of pity for him—because he hadn’t any aunt.”
Aunt Polly: “What has that got to do with it?”
Tom: “If he’d had one, she’d burnt him out herself… without more feeling than if he was human!”

Aunt Polly softened, eyes watering.

“I was meaning for the best, Tom… and it did do you good.”
Tom (with a twinkle): “I know you was meaning for the best, aunty, and so was I with Peter.”

She stopped giving medicines to Tom.

About the Author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher and lecturer. Raised in Hannibal, Missouri, he set his famous novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn there.

Glossary

• infatuated – inspired with intense but short-lived passion
• plunges – act of thrusting forcibly into liquid
• quack – fraudulent pretender to medical skill
• professing – claiming, often falsely
• frenzy – state of uncontrolled excitement
• somersaults – acrobatic movement rolling end over end
• petrified – extremely frightened

Exercises

A. Choose the most suitable option.

1. Tom was disturbed because
   c) his friend Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to school.

2. Aunt was an experimenter in
   d) trying out new medicines.

3. Tom used the pain-killer to
   b) mend the crack on the sitting room floor.

4. Peter sprang a couple of yards in the air as
   a) he had a teaspoon of the pain-killer.

5. Finally Aunt Polly said to Tom that he
   a) need not take any more medicine.

B. Identify the character or speaker.

1. Peter
2. Aunt Polly
3. Tom
4. Aunt Polly
5. Tom

C. Rearrange in correct sequence.

5 → 8 → 1 → 7 → 3 → 4 → 6 → 2

D. Short answers (1–2 sentences).

1. Becky Thatcher stopped coming to school.
2. She was worried about his dullness and believed in patent medicines.
3. Tom poured it into the crack on the floor.
4. No; Peter begged for it.
5. He was attracted by the smell and wanted a taste.
6. She found the teaspoon with pain-killer sticking to it.
7. Peter had no aunt to dose him, so Tom pitied him.
8. She realised her treatment might have been cruel to Tom too.

E. 80–100 words

1. Aunt Polly’s remedies: cold morning baths, rubbing with a rough towel, wrapping in wet sheets, hot & sitz baths, oatmeal diet, blister-plasters, daily quack medicines.
2. Funny sequence: Tom offers pain-killer to Peter; cat leaps, whoops, dances, upsets pots, somersaults, crashes through window; Aunt Polly astonished; Tom convulsed with laughter.

F. Complete the summary

Tom Sawyer felt dejected as Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to school. His Aunt Polly was concerned about his health condition. She tried various remedies on him. Tom pretended to like the pain-killer and asked for it often. He used it to mend the crack on the floor. One day he gave it to Peter. The pain-killer had an adverse effect; the cat threw summersets and sailed through the window. Aunt found the teaspoon, realised the cruelty, and stopped giving medicines.

G. American slang vs Standard English

Slang	Standard English
Finally hit ‘pon	Finally hit upon
There ain’t anything mean about me	There isn’t anything mean about me
‘Deed I don’t know	Indeed I don’t know
Yes’m. That is, I believe they do	Yes ma’am. That is, I believe they do
She’d a roasted bowel out of me	She would have roasted the bowel out of me
Oh, go ‘long with you, Tom	Oh, go along with you, Tom

H. Mind Map

• Becky Thatcher stopped coming to school.
• Tom became dull and dejected.
• Aunt Polly was concerned about Tom.
• She tried water treatments, diets, plasters, quack medicines.
• Tom pretended to like the pain-killer.
• One day Tom gave the pain-killer to Peter the cat.
• The incidents made his aunt realise her cruelty and stop dosing him.

Role Play

Volunteers enact Tom & Peter; classmates discuss performance, strong parts, improvements, acting tips.

Cat Facts

• Cats can drink sea water.
• Ridge pattern on nose is unique like a fingerprint.
• Cats can’t taste sweet things.
• Cats make 100+ vocal sounds.
• Female: molly/queen; Male: tom.
• Females usually right-pawed; males left-pawed.

ICT Corner – Modals

Visit Agenda Web for interactive modal exercises, instant feedback, downloadable worksheets.

Practice Practice Exercises

1. Tom was disturbed because

2. Aunt was an experimenter in

3. Tom used the pain-killer to

4. Peter sprang a couple of yards in the air as

5. Finally Aunt Polly said to Tom that he

1. He banged against furniture, upsetting flower-pots and making general havoc.

2. She stood petrified with astonishment peering over her glasses.

3. ‘That is, I believe they do.’

4. ‘What has that got to do that with it?’

5. ‘I done it out of pity for him.

1. Since all her methods failed, finally she gave him a pain-killer.

2. He told his aunt that Peter had no aunt, so he gave him the medicine.

3. The pain-killer triggered adverse reactions on Peter.

4. It jumped out of the open window.

5. Tom was dull and depressed.

6. This incident upset Aunt Polly and she questioned him.

7. But, Tom gave that painkiller to the cat Peter.

8. So, Aunt Polly tried different types of remedies on him.

1. Why did Tom lose the charm of his life?

2. Why did Aunt Polly try different remedies on Tom?

3. How did the medicine diminish?

4. Did Tom compel Peter to have the painkiller?

5. Why did Peter wish to taste the painkiller?

6. How did Aunt Polly discover the reason for Peter’s absurd behavior?

7. What was the reason given by Tom for giving the painkiller to the cat?

8. Why did Aunt Polly’s eyes water?

1. Describe the different types of remedies tried by Aunt Polly on Tom.

2. Narrate the funny sequence between Tom Sawyer and Peter, the cat.

Tom Sawyer felt as Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to . His Aunt Polly was very concerned about his condition. So, she began to try various on him. Tom became fed up with his Aunt’s brand of remedies and to like the pain-killer. He started to ask for it very often. But, Tom used the medicine to mend

the on the floor. One day, Tom gave the pain-killer to his Aunt’s cat . The had an adverse effect on the cat and it started to jump around the room. Aunt Polly entered the room in time to see the cat throw a few and sail through the open window. She found the with a little pain-killer sticking to it and knew that Tom had treated the cat with it. She realised that, what was to the cat should be the same to the boy too and giving medicines to him.

1. Becky Thatcher, Tom’s friend had coming to school.

2. So, Tom became

3. Aunt Polly about Tom.

4. She tried

5. Tom pretended to and asked for it very often.

6. One day Tom gave the pain-killer to

7. The incidents that followed made his aunt

a. How well did your classmates enact the story?

b. Which part did they do well?

c. Which part of their role play, according to you, could have been enacted better?

d. If asked to give suggestions to improve their acting skill, what would you suggest?