The Cop and the Anthem

【Abstract】Horace， in his Art of Poetry， proposes that poems should either delight， or instruct， or if possible accomplish both ends at once. His criteria for good literature is not only limited within poems， but also applicable in other genres like novels. This thesis analyzes an English short story The Cop and the Anthem written by O. Henry from Horaces criteria. This short story has fully achieved both the functions to delight and instruct proposed by Horace.

【Key words】Horace; delight and instruction; The Cop and the Anthem

【作者簡介】段薇，云南大学外国语学院。

Horace， an excellent poet in the Augustus era of early Roman empire， proposes in his Art of Poetry that poems should either delight， or instruct， or if possible accomplish both ends at once. Instruction is the purpose， which can be realized through the means of delight （Duan 2008）. This paper analyzes The Cop and the Anthem from Horaces criteria. Based on his thoughts， this short story has fully achieved the effect of delight and instruction.

1. Delight Reflected in The Cop and the Anthem

The Cop and the Anthem is a story with black humor. Black humor deals with tragical scenes absurdly， juxtaposes sufferings and jokes， and puts characters who are originally in the effect of tragedy into a laughing situation （Wu 2014）. Black humor can be understood from the use of rhetorical devices. In The Cop and the Anthem， O. Henry uses a lot of rhetoric devices such as personification， metonymy， metaphor and irony to make people feel relaxed， funny， witty and poignant.

Here are some examples of black humor.

“A dead leaf fell on Soapys leg. That was Jack Frosts card. Jack is kind to the regular people of Madison Square， and gives fair warning of his annual call. At the corners of four streets he hands his card to the North Wind， the male servant of All Outdoors， so that the people there may get ready.” （The Cop and the Anthem， 58）

Henry refers to the falling leaves as Jack Frosts card. This a personification of “frost” in English with a tone of helpless self-deprecation. He call vagrants “All Outdoors”. North wind is viewed as the male servant of vagrants. This jocular atmosphere makes the wintry chill of bitter surroundings no longer dreary.

“Three months on the Island was what he longed for. Three months of assured food and bed and agreeable company， safe from the north wind and cop， seemed to Soapy the best he could dream of.” （The Cop and the Anthem， 58）

The prison is originally a prison for those who breaks the law. But O. Henry compares it to the ideal place that Soapy dreams of， and praised it as a place where he can not worry about food and living. The praise and recognition of prison reflected the poverty of lower-class people.

2. Instruction Reflected in The Cop and the Anthem

The juxtaposition of the cop and the anthem in the title seems to be arranged with particular care （Wang 2009）. The police， as the “national servant”， is the holder and executor of the law， representing the regime of the ruling class. The anthem represents the spiritual power of religious morality and the return of humanity.

In the story， Soapy met the police five times. Unexpectedly Soapy is imprisoned without reason. The police kept blind eyes. In the end， Soapy feels the purification of church anthem but is accidentally arrested. It is the “accident” that reflects the nature of the capitalist society which reverses good and evil. The following excerpt depicts Soapys determination and resolution influenced by the anthem to restart his life.

“He would pull himself out of the deep mud; he would make a man of himself again; he would conquer the evil that had taken possession of him. Those solemn but sweet musical notes had set up a revolution in him. Tomorrow he would go into the roaring downtown district and find work. He would be somebody in the world.” （The Cop and the Anthem， 74）

Even though Soapy， in the end， goes to jail， he is spiritually saved by the anthem. The instructive function of spiritual power and this novel itself cannot be ignored and devalued.

3. Conclusion

The Cop and the Anthem completely match Horaces standard， that is， good literature should both delight and instruct. From the aspect of delight， O. Henry uses rhetorical devices to realize the effect of black humor. As for the instruction， O. Henry applies the anthem to change Soapy. And writing his tragical fate in humorous way also helps the readers understand the dark side of local society and judge the real good behaviors.

References：

[1]Henry， O. The Selected Short Stories of O Henry [M].上海：上海世界图书出版社，2004：25-30.

[2]段振良.贺拉斯的“教”与“乐”[J].铜仁學院学报，2008（2）：65.