KT- Period 3 says:

1. The fact that the awful incident is true does make the selection more interesting, frightening, and thought provoking. In fiction, anything can happen and be made up, but in true incidents the reader can relate to certain events and emotions. For example, the mother makes the boy bury the cat in the dark. This frightening element adds to the situation because many children are afraid of the dark. The reader can relate up to a point what the boy was feeling, even though most of us have never been in a situation such as this. Most readers can also appreciate how the boys were able to stay quiet as the father was sleeping, because we can not even keep quiet at school. True stories can make readers understand what the characters are going through and lead the readers to think about what will happen next because they become very interested in the story.

2. The boy committed a terrible act by taking a life away, but there is some reason to jusify the boy’s actions. The action is by no doubt wrong and the boy learns that the life can not be replaced. There is reason to believe that the father provoked the boy’s action of killing the kitten. The boy killed the kitten through resentment of his father. We can predict that if the father did not act in the way he did, the boy would not have killed the kitten. The boy’s anger and resentment to his father do not make the action justifiable. Even though this is just a six year old boy, this incident is still cruel. In conclusion, the action by the boy was wrong and was adressed by his mother in the right way, but this event could have been prevented if the father was more positively active in his family’s lives.

  MS - Period 3 says:

1) The fact that this excerpt from an autobiography of Richard Wright does make the story more interesting, frightening, and thought-provoking. I thought that it was interesting that a six year old boy would ever kill a cat, but I also thought it was interesting that the dad would ever say to kill the cat. I can’t believe he would say that to his six year old son because how does he know if his son would take it literally? This was also very interesting to me. Because Richard did this, his mother makes him go out and bury the kitten in the dark. I remember when I was little, I was very scared of the dark. As a reader, I can relate to him because he was also scared of the dark. Its not fun when you are forced to do or go out in something that you are scared of. This was very frightening to him. This being a true story was very thought-provoking. It’s scary to think that if a six year old thought of it in this true story, a six year old would probably be able to do it now. It’s also scary to think that he took a life of a little kitten just to get back at his father. While reading this, it made me think about what people will do when they are angry.

2) I believe that Richard’s choice to kill the kitten is justifiable. He took the life away of a little kitten, but he did it in resentment to his father. His father told him to “kill the kitten.” Nothing the boy ever did was right; he thought that if he did what his father told him by killing the kitten, that he wouldn’t reprimand him. The father was also the boss. Nothing he ever said or did was wrong. Although Richard thought that it was OK to kill the kitten because his father told him to, it wasn’t. Richard could have not killed the kitten, told his mother what his father told him to do, and possibly still gotten back at him. This could happen because the mother might be mad and yell at the father. He might then think about what he says before he actually says it. Richard knew that it was wrong and regrets it many years later, so much that he dedicated a whole chapter to it. The killing of the kitten was wrong, but I can see how he justified it.

  EM Period 3 says:

1. The thought that the incident is true definitely makes this story more interesting, frightening and thought provoking. In fiction, things are made up, so anything is possible. But, the thought of a six-year-old, even if it was just to get back at his father, having the mindset to kill a kitten at such a young age is really frightening. But, I was also surprised that a father would suggest killing a kitten to such a young boy. Also, when his mother made him bury the kitten in the dark was frightening, and I could see how such a young boy would be afraid of not only the dark, but burying something dead in the dark. Then, his mother made him pray that the Lord not take his life in the middle of the night also really frightened the boy and I wasn’t surprised at his reaction. I could never picture my seven-year-old cousin doing something like that! You could tell that this scared him so much that this will be a life-lesson.

2. I don’t believe that this action is at all justifiable even if it was only done to get back at his father. He took a life, and it wasn’t in self-defense. It was just a innocent kitten that was making too much noise. Richard knew his father wasn’t serious when he said “kill the kitten”, and he shouldn’t have. I know he only did it to stop his father from reprimanding him, but it was still incredibly wrong. I believe his punishment was suitable for what he did. His mother had a very creative punishment that definately got her message through. You can’t take a life away. You can never bring it back. By making him go outin the dark and bury the kitten and then pray really taught Richard his lesson.

  MR Period 2 says:

1) The fact that the incident is true does make the selection interesting. The reason why I think this is because knowing that a six year old boy can tie a noose is incredible. It is really hard to tie a noose. Another thing interesting is how literal the boy took his father’s words. The boy knew what the father meant by “getting rid” of the kitten, but instead since the boy had so much resentment for his father he wanted to show his father that he was in the wrong. If this story was fiction I don’t think it would have much of an impact. Why I think this is because if it was fiction you would think who would be this dumb to kill a cat like that? Since the story is true you can see how the author felt when he had done this, and even since he wrote this in his autobiography you realize the theme. Which would be, respect everything around you and to never take a life away from something or someone.

2) Yes, I think the boy’s action is justifiable. Taking a life away from a harmless living thing that didn’t do anything to you does have some reasoning behind it. The boy wants to show his father that he is wrong sometimes, and can’t do anything about it when he is. So, the father can yell, but he can’t do anything physical because the father should’ve elaborated more on what he wanted his son to do with the kitten. Since he didn’t the boy did what he said, “Get rid of the kitten.” Even though, Richard knew what his father said he just had so much resentment towards his father. He wanted to put him in the wrong.

  NC- Period 1 says:

1. The fact that the terrible incident is true does make the selection more interesting, frightening, and thought provoking. What makes this true story more intresting, and frightening is since this tragic event is done intentionally by a six year old boy. Since the boy needed to get back at his father, he took his words literally, and killed the hopeless kitten. If this story were to be written as a fiction story, than it would not be as intresting or frightening as this story. The reason being is the readers would know that the event didn’t happen so the couldn’t relate it as much to thier lives. What makes this story frightening is the fact that a six year old has to go outside in the middle of the night to burry a kitten in which he killed. Most children are scared of the dark, and would most likely be scared to hold a kitten in which they killed.

2. The boy’s actions are justifiable since he is sorry for what he has done. When his father said to kill it he took the words literal since he has to listen to his father, and because he wants revenge, even though killing a kitten won’t really be getting revenge. The boy obviously wasn’t thinking about the effects of killing the kitten. Killing the kitten was a good lesson for the boy, which taught him to respect everything that lives, because once it’s gone it’s gone. Also, the mother did a good job of handling the situation to make the boy realize what he had done.

  JP Period 1 says: says:

1)The fact that the incident is true does make the story interesting. The reason why I think this is because it is amazing how a boy at such young age can do something that horrible,killing a kitten. Richard did this to show his father all the resentment he has for him. If it was fiction I wouldn’t feel that bad because I know it is not true, it really never happened to anyone and the little boy never felt that way. It wouldn’t have been that interesting and so upsetting, but knowing that it is real and that the author went through this, it is very sad and interesting than if it would have been fiction.
2)Yes,I think Richard’s actions are justifiable.I think it is justifiable because he didn’t kill the kitten because he simply wanted to do it. He did this because he wanted to show his father all the resentment he has felt towards him. When his father said “Kill that damn thing!”
He didn’t mean to kill it but because Richard felt so much resentment towards him he took his words literally. So when he got yelled at he blamed it on his father. Richard’s father couldn’t hit or spank him because he knew next time he wouldn’t listen or take his words or commands seriously.

  SS says:

1.The fact that the terrible incident is true does make the selection more interesting, frightening, and thought provoking.If this story was just a made up one, then people would just lay it off and think that this could never happen. But because this story is true, the readers leave with a strong message. If this story was not true I would not feel bad for the boy or the kitten and would just pass it by. Since this was true, I was pretty sad at the end of the book and could understand what the boy must of gone through. Something that is frightening about this selection is how a small child could do such a horrible, and terrible thing as taking a life away. If the boy never got such a lesson from his mother, that boy might kill a person next time. Its interesting to see how lack of attention from one parent can lead a child astray.

2. No, the boy’s action is not justifiable at all. Although the boy showed great resentment towards his father and desperately wanted his attention, still doesn’t defend what he did. The boy knew perfectly that his father had not meant for him to kill the kitten when he had said so. Even though it is not right for the father to completely ignore the boy and his brother, the boy could have retaliated another way. Also, the mother handled this situation very well and was very effective. If she had taught the boy in any less of a severe way, then there would be nothing stopping the boy from doing it again, and again.

  RA-Period 1 says:

1.The fact that the incident is true really does make the selection more interesting and thought-provoking. If this story was fiction, it would’nt have such an impact on the readers because they would think the incident couldn’t happen in real life, especially a six year old child. But the fact that a boy of only six years would kill a poor innocent kitten, makes this story interesting. The only reason for this wanton behavior was to teach his father a lesson so that the next time the father tries to punish him, he would think twice and try not to risk his authority. Although the boy took a life, he felt proud of himself because he found a way to show what he thinks about his father. the selection makes the readers think of so many different things, mainly of why he would kill a living creature. Another thing that someone could learn from this is that things, mostly unexpected things, could happen in someone’s life. The rest of the family was shocked when they learned of the terrible thing that happened in their own home.

2. The boy’s actions are not justifiable in any way. picture yourself as a cute little kitten, and your strolling along someones backyard when suddenly, a boy comes, ties your neck to a rope and leaves you dangling in the air, choking. Wouldn’t you be furious? Do you think the kitten cares that it’s killer was trying to prove a point to his father? That’s why the boy’s actions are not justifiable. Also, the punishment alloted to him was the right for him because after having to bury the dead kitten in the dark outside, the thought of taking the innocent life of a living creature would stay with him throughout his life. Obviously, the lesson he learned did stay with him because he wrote about it.

  JF period 3 says:

1)The fact that this short story is an actual life experience that the author lived through I think it delicately had an impact on the vivid detail the he included. For me, this story sent me on an emotional roller coaster. It felt like I was right there with the Richie as he was angry, devious, defensive, sad, and than scared. As the reader I didn’t know whether to scold Richie for killing the defenseless kitten, or scold the father for neglecting his son to the point that he would do something this extreme as this. Richie killed the cat to try and express his disgust with his father as a parent. The only way he could get attention was to do something against the rules. This is expressed well in the story and paints an ugly picture of Richie’s father. One of my favorite parts of this selection was the scene where Richie is forced to burry the cat and pray that he lives through that night; it shows the crazy amount of fear, and resentment that this poor six year old felt. I don’t think that any author could sit at his desk and right up a short story that felt so complete without living through it himself.

2)I feel that killing the cat was far too extreme to try and challenge his father’s authority. Like the mother taught him life is more valuable than anything, especially that of another intelligent mammal. Killing the cat was an extremely selfish wanton act. I can’t believe any six year old could kill something like that without even thinking. This was way too much to do just to try and get even with your own father.

  CH says:

1. The fact that this terrible incident is true does make the passage more interesting, frightening, and thought-provoking, In a fiction story, the author could have made this sort of tale up in order to send a message to people and especially younger children, about how important all life really is. The fact that this story did really really happen makes it that much more interesting, thought provoking, and especially frightening. For me to try to think of a six year old boy making a noose for a little kitten that did nothing to harm him, and then hanging that same kitten is one that is really hard to comprehend. I have a six year old boy cousin and I can not imagine that same happy little boy taking the life of a little kitten. Of course the conditions of which my cousin and this little boy Richard grew up in are completely different, it is still hard for me to imagine.

2. Richard’s actions are not justifiable. Unless the animal is attacking you and putting your life in harm’s way, there is no reason at all for you to be killing that animal or in this case kitten. What gives Richard the right to kill the animal? The fact that his life is hard doesn’t mean that he should be allowed to take away the life of some poor unsuspecting kitten. I do understand the reasoning though that Richard had for killing the kitten. I also think that his thinking was rather clever, I mean the fact that this six year old boy could process the that if he killed this kitten that his father would for once not be able to punish him is astonishing to me.

  JG per.1 says:

The fact that the incident is true does make the selection more interesting, frightening and thought-provoking than if it had been fiction. I think it is interesting because a six year old boy had killed a kitten. This is very disturbing because I didn’t think a child that young could kill a kitten. At six years old I didn’t really know what killing was. I was also amazed at how this boy had so much resentment toward his father. Even though the father was cruel and always not paying attention to the boys, I thought the son should have some respect to his father. Since this book was non- fiction it frightened me because the kitten really died. Also, it frightened me when the mother made the boy go in the dark and bury the kitten, even though it was the right thing to do.

I think it is not justified that the boy killed the kitten because the boy made a choice to kill the kitten. Even though the father said for the boy to kill the kitten the boy knew what he meant. That was just to get the kitten out of the building. The boy had so much resentment towards his father that the boy killed the kitten to prove a point to his father. That is wrong because he used and killed a living thing to get back at his father.

  TP Period 2 says:

1) The fact that this excerpt from Richard Wright’s autobiography is true makes it even more interesting, frightening, and thought provoking, compared to if it had been told in a fictional work. Of course, every child goes through tough times, but to think that a six year old child would be able to find a way to anger his father while not being able to be punished is unbelievable. He was even able to tie a noose, figure out how to kill the kitten using the noose, and then above all had been able to devise the plan so that it revolved around blaming his father for the death of the animal. This is different from fictional because in a fictional work, anything can be true, and if the author wanted the story to have pigs able to fly, he could. The fact that this is a non-fiction passage really changes the readers outlook of the entire tale. This helps get across and important moral lesson that is very obvious in “The Kitten”; that you need to respect life as it is, and never take a living thing’s life, because death is final.

2) Richard’s actions in “The Kitten” are not at all justifiable. He went against his better judgement, and even was told by his brother that it was the wrong course of action. yet after all of this, he still decided to hang the kitten just to get back at his father. Richard then claimed, “Father told me to kill it!” Although he thinks that because his father had told him to kill it (even though he did not mean for his words to be taken literally) it will make it justifiable, it just makes his actions even worse. Not only did he kill the kitten, but then he refused to take responsibility for his actions and attempted to shift the blame to his father. However, I must admit that it was a rather clever idea to take his fathers words literally. This allowed Richard to anger his father, and yet not be punished. His father can not punish him for following his instructions, and if he does, he risks his authority in the household. In conclusion, Richards actions were not justifiable because you should never take a life for a petty reason, such as to get back at your father. What Richard had committed was basically a murder, and he was taught a valuable lesson by his mother, who made him bury the kitten at night, and then pray for forgiveness.

  SW Period 3 says:

The fact that the appalling incident is true certainly makes the selection more interesting, frightening, and thought-provoking than if the excerpt had been fiction. With the event of the boy killing the kitten, the first thought of mine would have been that it was a fictional account of a heartrending tale. However, with prior of the story, I knew it was factual. I would have come to the conclusion that it was a fictional episode because of the technology used today to make far-fetched events seem real. In a true narrative, the reader can relate to the happenings going on in the story. For instance, Richard’s mother forced him to bury the kitten at night. Just like me when I was a young adolescent, I was petrified of the dark like Richard. This was a situation where I could relate to the events in the story. Stories that are true help the reader predict what is going to happen in the future from experiences of their own. In conclusion, a six year old boy having the mind set to murder a kitten is truly unbearable, but that fact that it is a true story is extremely makes it that much more interesting, frightening, and thought-provoking.

Without a doubt, Richard’s actions are extremely horrid, repulsive, and should never be done to anyone or thing, but there is a slight degree of justification for his wrongdoings. There is no question that taking a life is the worst thing anyone can do because a life can’t be replaced, but the resentment of Richard towards his dad provoked him. Richard’s father told Richard and his brother to kill the kitten but figuratively. Richard knew this but thought it would be a devious way to show his resentment toward his father without getting in trouble. When the boy confronted his father with the action he took, the father couldn’t punish him because he said to kill the kitten. Would the boy have committed this act if his father was more involved in a positive way? Most likely no because he would have no resentment towards his father. However, in the end, Richard should have never done what he did. You should never take a life no matter what the situation is unless it is in self-defense and in this situation the kitten showed no harm. In the end, Richard’s mother told him to respect life and to this day he still does.

  SC- Period 1 says:

I believe that since the death of the Kitten is real it makes it more interesting, frightening, and thought provoking then if were fiction. It is disgusting to think of something killing a kitten but for it to be real it makes me think more because it actually happened. The little boy really killed a kitten. If it was fiction then people would still be disgusted but they could find comfort in that it was fiction, or made up. But it is real. I believe the killing of the kitten is not justifiable because he killed a living breathing animal. Even though his mother made him bury the kitten, that does not make it okay to kill. His mother taught him a lesson that I think should have been taught when he was two years old. Never kill another person, or animal. If this had been reinforced he wouldn’t have killed the kitten. In conclusion I believe the action of killing the kitten makes the selection more interesting, frightening, and thought provoking, and it was an outrageous rash action.

  KC-Period 1 says:

1. The fact that this incident is true does make the selection more interesting, frightening, and thought- provoking than if it was fiction. The fact that this incident is true makes it more interesting because it would not have made as much of an impact if the incident was not true. The fact that the incident is true makes the incident more frightening because it is very surprising to think Richard a six year old, would kill a kitten, just to get back at his father. I can understand that he is upset with his father for not showing attention to him, but i do not understand that he had enough resentment towards his father to kill a kitten. The fact that this insident is true makes it more thought-provoking because even after Richard killed the kitten he was not even upset, he felt proud. I would think that if you took a life, even if it was a kitten you would feel upset.

2.No, this boys actions are not justifiable at all. His actions are not justifiable because you should never take a life. Even though the boy was very upset with his father for not paying attention to him or his brother unless he was giving them rules, Richard never should have taken his Father’s words to kill the kitten literally, when he knew his father did not mean it.
Richard deserved the punishment his mother gave him, to bury the kitten. I think Richard learned an important lesson, not to take life for granted.

  AG- Period 3 says:

1) Yes, the fact that the incident is true does make the story more interesting, frightening, and thought-provoking. This is a true occurrence that happened in Richard Wright’s life, which makes the human mind think even more than it normally would. In fiction, incidents like this sometimes occur and the reader usually does not take it seriously. In a fiction story or passage, emotions are not released as easily compared to something true. Also, Richard was forced to bury the kitten in his dark, scarce backyard; the reader could relate this to his or her own life. As younglings, many people are afraid of the dark and that is part of the reason Richard’s mother made him do that. For the reader, many things stir in their heads. For example, it was a shock to me that the two boys were able to stay quiet throughout the day. I know for a fact that it is hard for me to stay quiet for just a few minutes, and it must have been a real challenge for these boys to keep quiet for several hours. True stories rather than fiction can be happy and jubilant, yet they can be frightening as well.

2) No, Richard’s act cannot be justifiable. Even though he did it to show up his father and prove him wrong, there was still no reason to KILL the kitten, which is a living thing. Death is porbably the the hardest thing for people to get over in life. EVen though kittens are not human beings, they are still perfectly good, four-legged animals that have a purpose in society. If I were the parent in this situation, i would have punished Richard in very harsh matters due to his hatred act. This murder can’t be justified in even the slightest category. I believe Richard knew this too because why would he dedicate a whole chapter in his autobiography to this incident out of all the other things that occurred in his life? Even though his father was cruel to him, killing the kitten was not the right choice for Richard.

  NF- Period 2 says:

1) The fact that the incident was true does make the story more interesting, frightening, and thought-provoking. This is so, because in a fictional story things aren’t real, they are made up. When readers read a true story they have emotions and feeling for what is happening. For example, the story is more interesting when the readers find out that a six year old boy can make a noose to kill a kitten. Today, children that age wouldn’t know how to make something like that. However, back in that day it wouldn’t be weird for a six year old boy to know that stuff because he lived in a time with slavery. The boy was African-American and was probably used to nooses and watching people be hung. It was commonly around the boy. Also, the story was more frightening because the mother made the boy bury the kitten in the dark. Young children are afraid of the dark which made the content more frightening. Also, the boy had to recite a prayer for God to spare his life for killing the kitten. The boy was so scared that he ran inside to his room crying. Finally, the story was more thought-provoking because it made the readers think about their lives. When the story talked about the boy’s relationship with his father and all the resentment, it made the readers think of their relationship with their fathers. Things like this provoke the readers’ thoughts on their lives. All in all, “The Kitten” being true definitely made the story more interesting, frightening, and thought-provoking.

2) I think the boy’s action is justifiable. Though the boy committed a horrible crime of killing the kitten, it wasn’t completely his fault. His father told him to kill the kitten because it was making too much noise when he was trying to sleep. The boy took his words literally and killed the kitten. Killing the kitten was in resent to his father. He was sick of his father telling him what to do all the time and he had no say in it because his mother taught him to always respect. By killing the kitten, he showed his father he does has triumph over him. He knew his father couldn’t really punish him because then he would be scared to ever listening to his orders again. However, since his actions were wrong the mother punished the boy without sending him to his room or hitting him, but by making the boy bury the kitten in the dark and recite a prayer to God. This scared the boy and made him cry. This was a punishment in itself because it scared the boy to never do that again. After several years, the boy dedicated a whole chapter to his book. The boy learned his lesson. In the end, the boy’s action was justifiable but still very wrong.

  MD period 3 says:

1. The fact that this incident is true makes it more interesting, horrible, and frightening. It’s more interesting, because the boy wanted to show all his resentment to his father so he comitted this horrible act.

2. I don’t think the boy’s actions were justifiable, because even though his father said to kill the cat, he said it out of anger. The reason why his actions are not justifiable, because the boy knew his father didn’t mean to kill the cat, the boy took his words literally on purpose.