A Tiger in the Zoo

Poem 03 Class X

1. A Tiger in the Zoo By– Leslie Norris

2. Leslie Norris was a famous Welsh poet and short story writer. He was born in 1921, in Wales. Leslie Norris had decided even at an early age that he would become a poet. He was very much interested in the poems of Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins. His first poem was published in 1938 but his first book of poetry came out in 1943. In July 1942, Norris married Catherine, better known as Kitty. They moved to England and trained themselves to be teachers. He shot to fame with his first publication ‘Finding Gold’. His works won various awards including the Cholmondeley Poetry Prize and the Katherine Mansfield Memorial award. Leslie died in 2006.

3. Central Idea of the Poem The tiger is a proud creature. It is a shame that such a powerful, agile and untamable animal should be caged in a zoo. In his natural and wild habitat, he doesn’t need the help of any kind to hunt its own food. His hunting of deer at the water hole may seem rather cruel. He hunts not for pleasure but for food. His presence in the natural habitat is necessary to maintain the balance of the food chain. Sometimes, the tiger may stray into human habitation. He only displays his strength and ferociousness. But he doesn’t harm anyone till he is provoked. Even in the cage, he ignores all those who come to the zoo to see him as entertainment. Like human beings, the tiger too loves and values his freedom. He shows his anger, hatred and even defiance by walking about in rage in his cage. Human progress should not be at the cost of destroying the natural habitats of untamable and proud animals like the tiger.

4.   Stalk— to walk in an angry or proud way  Vivid— very bright,   Stripes— long lines on the body,   Cage— a box made of bars or wire,   Pads— cushion, Velvet— a soft silk cloth  Quiet— making very little noise,   Rage— violent anger Lurking— waiting secretly, Shadow —(here) darkness,   Sliding through— moving smoothly and quietly,   Water hole— a small pool of water where animals go to drink Snarling— making an aggressive growl showing teeth,   Around— in various directions,   At the Jungle’s edge— at the outer area of jungle,   Baring— not covered with,   White fangs— two long sharp teeth,   Claws— nails of animals or birds,   Terrorising — creating fear, Vocab Time

5. Style The poem consists of 5 stanzas, each is made up of 4 lines. The rhyme scheme is: abcb ; abcb ; abcb ; abcb ; abcb . The poem has two distinct settings. The first setting is that of the zoo where the tiger is put in a cage. The second setting is that of the natural wild habitat of the tiger which should have been his real place. The personification of the tiger is evident as the poet calls him ‘he’, and not ‘it’. The metaphor ‘pads of velvet’ is used effectively in the third line of the first stanza. The tense tone represents the hidden rage of the tiger.

6. SUMMARY In this poem, Leslie Norris has given an appropriate description of a tiger. This poem contrasts a tiger in the zoo in his cage with the tiger in its natural habitat. The poem moves from the zoo to the jungle, and back again to the jungle. The poet sees a tiger full of rage but quiet, moving in his cage in a starry night. The poet feels that the tiger should have been moving freely in the forest and hunting at his will. But now he is locked in a concrete cell behind the bars. At night he watches stars with his brilliant eyes and longs for freedom.

7. Walks in Quiet Rage: The dweller of the forest is forcefully put in a cage. The tiger is caged in a zoo. There, in his artificial habitat, he walks in quiet rage. The stripes on his body are very distinct and can be easily seen. The stripes are darker in colour than the rest of his coat. The tiger moves very softly and quietly with his ‘pads of velvet’. But the range of his movement is limited. He goes on moving around within the confines of his cage. The tiger doesn’t relish the stares of the onlookers in the zoo. His rage or anger is suppressed. He Should Have Been in his Natural Habitat: The poet means that the zoo is not the rightful place of the tiger. He is a denizen of the jungle. His real place is in the wild. Had he been in the wild, he would have been lurking around in shadow. He must have been sliding quietly through the long grass to ambush his kill.

8. Terrorising the Village: Had the tiger been in the forest, sometimes he would stray into human settlement. He would stray around the outskirts of the village. These human settlements are at the jungle’s edge. On seeing the villagers he would open his long sharp teeth and claws to terrorise the residents . The tiger is not in his natural habitat—the wilds: Unfortunately, he is locked in a concrete cell of a zoo. His powerful and strong body is of no use to him as he is put behind the bars. His movements have been limited. He is continuously moving about the length and breadth of his cage.

9. Remains Awake till Late at Night: The poet describes how the day ends for the tiger. He doesn’t go to sleep until the late hours of the night. He hears the sound of the cars of the zoo official patrolling at night. The stars shine brightly in the sky and so do his brilliant eyes at night.

10. The tiger is not in his natural habitat i.e. the jungle. Unfortunately, the resident of the forest has been confined to a zoo. He is no more -free to roam about in the forest but walks within the length and breadth of his cage. He has dark spots on his skin which are clearly visible even from a distance. Forced to live in his cage, he walks around quietly with his velvety soft feet. He is angry but has to suppress it. In his quiet rage, he continues walking up and down his caged habitat. The poet imagines how the tiger should behave if he is in his natural habitat — the wild jungle.

11. There, he should be silently hiding in the shadow remains unnoticed. Sliding through the long grass he should move stealthily to ambush his prey. He knows where he can find his kill in the wild. His favourite hunt is the plump deer which he can find near the water-hole. Sometimes, he comes out of the forest and strays in the human settlement at the edge of the jungle. There he terrorises the villagers by opening out his white fangs or the long teeth and the claws. His ferocious looks frighten the villagers. However, he has no intention of entering the village and killing anybody until he is highly provoked.

12. Unfortunately, the mighty tiger is cursed to live in a concrete cell in the zoo. Many visitors come to see him in the zoo but he doesn’t like the stares of the visitors. He simply ignores their presence. Now, he is made to limit his movements only to the length and breadth of his caged habitat. The tiger keeps awake till late in the night. He hears the noise of the patrolling cars moving around in the zoo. The brilliant stars shine in the sky and his brilliant eyes shine in the night. He can’t free himself but he keeps on watching the brilliant stars standing behind the bars of his caged habitat.

13. 1. What does a tiger have on his body? (A) spots (B) stripes (C) stars (D) all of the above 2. How does a tiger feel in a cage? (A) happy (B) contented (C) free (D) angry 3. How are the pads of a tiger? (A) velvet (B) rough (C) hard (D) all of the above 4. What does the tiger hunt near the water hole? (A) lions (B) elephants (C) deer (D) all of the above 5. Where do the tigers hunt the deer? (A) in the cage (B) near the water hole (C) near the cage (D) all of the above. Recapitulation Time

14. 6. Where should the tiger be snarling? (A) at the jungle’s edge (B) at the cage’s edge (C) in the cage (D) all of the above 7. A tiger Is happy when…………….. (A) he is in the cage (B) he is near the cage (C) he frightens the visitors (D) he is free in the forest 8. What is the tiger’s attitude towards visitors? (A) loving (B) hating (C) ignoring (D) threatening 9. What is patrolling at night? (A) can (B) tigers (C) deer (D) all of the above 10. How are the eves of the tiger? (A) dull (B) brilliant (C) sleepy (D) sad Recapitulation Time

15. Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage) Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’. Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet) Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage) Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage) Literary Devices Para 01

16. Rhyme: rhyme scheme is abcb (grass-pass) Alliteration: use of sound ‘p’ at the start of two words (plump pass) Imagery: The poet has tries to create an image of tiger’s activities (lurking in shadow). Literary Devices Para 02

17. Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (edge, village) Onomatopoeia: using words which denote sound (snarling) Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around, houses), (Baring, his, white, his) Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his, claws) Literary Devices Para 03

18. Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (bars-visitors) Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell) Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars) Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two words (behind bars) Literary Devices Para 04

19. Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (cars-stars) Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any punctuation mark. (And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.) Alliteration: use of sound ‘h’ in the starting of two words (he hears) Assonance: use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant) Literary Devices Para 05