A TIGER IN THE ZOO

BY: BY: LESLIE NORRIS

 SUMMARY: - The presented poetry “A tiger in the zoo” has been composed by Leslie Norris. The port has compared the activities of a tiger in the zoo with the tiger in its natural habitat. The description begin from the zoo and moves to the jungle. After through study of its natural habitat, it moves back again to the zoo. The helplessness of the tiger in the zoo has been   described nicely that makes us sad. The poem can be summarized in the following ways:-

The poet says that the tiger with its bright stripes walks silently on his soft velvet paws in the cage. He is in angry mood. The poet remarks that t he should been hiding him in the shade and moving through tall grass near a pool from where chubby deer moves onward. He should terrorize the villagers nearby the forest making angry sounds with his bared teeth. Misfortunately the strength of the tiger has been locked behind concrete cell.

DIFFICULT WORDS

Stalks= stride      Lurking=hiding.      Sliding=moving.        Plump=chubby.      Hole=pool.    Cell=compartment Stalking=striding   Ignoring=not taking any notice     Vivid= bright     Rage=angry.        Quiet=silent

Answer following questions in short.

Q1)   How does the tiger feel in the cage?

Ans1 ) The tiger feels uneasy in the cage. It roars growls and snarls. It always remains in anger and goes on moving the few steps on the pads of velvet quiet.

Q2)  How does a tiger create terror for the villages?

Ans2) The villagers become fearful on seeing the tiger moving around the villages. They are afraid lest it should attack and kill them. Its bare fangs and cruel paws can pierce the body in no time.

Q3)  What does the tiger do at night?

Ans3)  The tiger does not rest even at night. It hears the last voice of the patrolling car. It keeps stares at the brilliant stars.

Q4)   After a deep contemplation the tiger does not want to remain in wild. Why?

Ans4)  The tiger has thought about the consequences of remaining in a wild. It has arrived at a conclusion that the hunters might shoot him. He has the fear of being drowned by water. Or it may be served with poisoned food.

Q. 5)  Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?

Ans: - The tiger should snarl around houses at the edge of the forest because of the following reasons: - Firstly the villagers will not disturb the peace of the forest. Secondly they will kill the animals for money or just for fun.

6)  Why does the tiger stare at the brilliant stars?

Ans: - the tiger is sad and dejected in the concrete cell. When he hears the last sound of the patrolling cars, he stares at the brilliant stars, and remembering good and pleasant days in the forest.

7)*Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:-

                                          (A)             He stalks in his vivid stripes

The few steps of his cage,

On pads of velvets quiet, in his quiet rage.

  i)    Who is ‘he’ in the passage?

 ii)  ‘The few steps of his cage’. Explain?

 iii)    Do you think that the tiger is in a happy mood? 

 i)  Ans: A tiger who is locked in the zoo is ‘he’ in the passage.

 ii)  Ans: It means that the tiger in the zoo does not have much space to walk in the small cage.

iii)  Ans: No, I don’t think that the tiger is in a happy mood.

( B)     He should lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass.

Near the water hole,

Where plump deer pass.

Q. i.  Name the poem and the poet.

Q. ii.  Where the tiger should be lurking?

Q. iii. Who pass through the water hole?

Ans.  i) The name of the poem is ‘A tiger in the zoo’ and the name of the poet is Leslie Norris. 

Ans.  ii) The tiger should be lurking in the shade and moving through tall grass near a pool from where chubby deer moves onward.

Ans. iii) Chubby deer pass through the water hole .

                                            (C)          But he’s locked in a concrete cell,

His strength behind the bars.

Stalking the length of his cage,

Ignoring visitors.

Q1. Where is the tiger locked?

Q2. Explain-“IGNORING VISITORS” 

Q3. What is the tiger doing in the cage?

Ans: 1) The tiger is locked in the concrete cell in the zoo.

Ans. 2) :  Ignoring visitors means that the tiger in the zoo is not taking any notice of visitors.

Ans. 3) The tiger is locked in the concrete cell and his strength is behind the bars so he is walking within the length of his cage  ignoring the visitors.

                                         

Question 1:

Read the poem again, and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks.

(i) Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the case and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.

(ii) Find the words that describe the two places, and arrange them in two columns.

Now try to share ideas about how the poet uses words and images to contrast the two situations.

Answer :

(i)

In the cage	In the wild
Stalks	Lurking in shadow
Few steps of his cage	Sliding through long grass
Quiet rage	Snarling around houses
Locked in a concrete cell	Baring his white fangs, his claws
Stalking the length of his cage	Terrorising the village
Ignoring visitors
Stares at the brilliant stars

(ii)

Cage	Wild
Few steps of his cage	Shadow
Concrete cell	Long grass
Locked	Water hole
Behind bars	Plump deer
Visitors	Houses at the jungle’s edge
Patrolling cars	Village

Question 2:

Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as these:

(i) On pads of velvet quiet,

In his quiet rage.

(ii) And stares with his brilliant eyes

At the brilliant stars.

What do you think is the effect of this repetition?

Answer :

This repetition is a poetic device used by the poet in order to enhance the beauty of the poem. ‘Velvet quiet’ refers to the quiet velvet pads of the tiger, which cannot run or leap. They can only walk around the limited space in the cage. The use of ‘quiet rage’ symbolises the anger and ferocity that is building up inside the tiger as it wants to run out into the forest and attack a deer, but the rage is quiet because it cannot come out in the open as it is in the cage. This double use of ‘quiet’ has brought immense beauty to the poem. Similarly, the use of ‘brilliant’ for the tiger’s eyes as well as the stars also brings out the magnificence of these lines. The tiger has dreams of being free in its ‘brilliant’ eyes. It sees the stars (that have also been described as brilliant) with the same eyes. It stares at the brilliant stars with its brilliant eyes thinking about how beautiful its life could be in the forest. The repetitiveness of these words gives a wonderful effect to the poem.