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Summary
The poem explains the situation of a tiger in the zoo. The poet narrates a tiger’s erstwhile life in the jungle when he was a free animal and now when he is caged in the zoo. The poem begins by describing the physical features of the tiger, which is kept in a little cage. The poet then goes on to describe how a tiger’s life would have been if he was in the jungle. In the end, the poet once again explains the situation of the tiger in the cage. The poet says that cage life has changed the personality of the tiger. He further elaborates that the tiger was a powerful and brave animal in the jungle, and villagers were terrified by his power. However, now the tiger has been confined to the cage and has turned into a helpless and powerless animal.
Stanza wise explanations:
1. He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
Word meanings:
Stalks: follows
Vivid: bright colored
Pads: paws of tiger
Rage: anger
In the first stanza, the poet describes the appearance of the tiger in the zoo. He says that the stripes on the tiger’s body are visible from a far distance. These stripes are darker in colour than the rest of his body structure. The tiger moves in the cage but can walk only a few steps as the cage is small. He walks quietly due to its smooth velvet pads. The tiger is full of anger, but he suppresses it due to his helplessness.
Poetic Devices
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)
Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to next line without any punctuation mark.
Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage)
Alliteration and consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, stripes and steps in the beginning as well as end of the words)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)
Oxymoron: use of adjectives side by side opposite in meaning (quiet rage)
2.He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
Word meanings:
Lurking: To lie hidden as to wait for your prey
Plump: having a full and rounded shape
In the second stanza, the poet imagines the life of the tiger in the jungle. He describes the other side of the tiger when he is a free animal. The poet says that, in the natural habitat, i.e., the dark forest, the tiger would have been lying in the shadow of the tree or hiding in the long grass to prevent other animals from noticing his movement. In this way, he would reach the water hole where all the animals of the forest come to drink water. When a deer would pass through the water hole, he would attack him and have him as a meal for the day.
Poetic devices:
Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks. (Sliding through….deer 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).
3. He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
Word meanings:
Snarling: warning sounds made by animals
Baring: uncovered
Fangs: Sharp tooth of animals
In the third stanza, the poet says that the tiger would be growling at the edge of the jungle near the village. The tiger would show his white long sharp teeth and long carved nails while moving here and there to scare the villagers. Here, the poet wants to convey that if we destroy the forests, then tigers will forcefully come out to towns and villages for their food. Thus, they will become the cause of terror for humans.
Poetic devices
Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (edge, village)
Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks (He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,)
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)
4. But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
Word meanings:
Concrete: building made of bricks, cement, sand and water
Ignoring: avoiding attention
In the fourth stanza, the poet stops imagining the tiger’s forest life and returns to the real condition. The poet says that the tiger is locked in a strong cell, which is made up of sturdy material. He has all the strength and power, but he is still behind bars. The tiger moves slowly and quietly in his cage and pays no attention to people who are coming to see him.
Poetic devices
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)
5. He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
Word meanings:
Patrolling: rounds by guards to ensure greater security from attacks on wild animals
Brilliant: bright
In the fifth and last stanza, the poet says that the tiger does not sleep at night. He hears the sound of the patrolling car. The noise of the patrolling car disturbs the tiger and does not allow him to sleep. He keeps staring at the stars with his brilliant eyes. He gets lost in his thoughts and wonders why he has been imprisoned in the cage.
Poetic devices:
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)
Extract Based Questions
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1. He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
a. Who is ‘he’ in the above lines?
b. Where is he?
c. Where and how is he walking?
d. In which mood is he? Why?
Answer:
a. ‘He’ in the above lines is the tiger.
b. He is in a small cage.
c. He is walking in his cage slowly and quietly with firm strides in a proud manner.
d. He is angry because instead of moving freely in the forest, he is confined to a small cage.
2. He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
a. Where is the tiger hiding?
b. Who is going to be his prey?
c. Why should he be lurking in shadow?
d. What is the rhyme scheme of these lines?
Answer:
a. He is hiding in a shadowy dark place in the long grass.
b. A fat deer who will come that way to drink water is going to be his prey.
c. He should be lurking in shadow to attack the deer who comes to drink water at the water hole.
d. The rhyme scheme of these lines is: a b c b.
3. He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
a. The poet says ‘He should be ….’, which means that he is not doing it at present, so where is he and what is he doing?
b. Where should ‘he’ be?
c. Where is he snarling around houses?
d. How does he terrorise the villagers?
Answer:
a. He is in a village showing his white teeth and claws. He is terrorising villagers.
b. ‘He’ should be in the forest.
c. He is snarling around houses at the jungle’s edge.
d. He terrorises the villagers by showing his sharp teeth and claws, and by growling.
4. But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
a. What does the expression— ‘stalking the length of his cage’ imply?
b. Was he interested in the visitors?
c. What is his attitude towards visitors?
d. What kind of enclosure was the tiger kept in?
Answer:
a. It means the tiger was walking from one end of the cage to another as if trying to measure the length of the cage.
b. No, he was not interested in the visitors.
c. He is ignoring the visitors.
d. He was kept in a cell made of concrete walls and long, strong bars, so that the tiger could not escape.
5. He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
a. What does he hear at night in the zoo?
b. What do you think he might be hearing when he was in the forest?
c. How do the eyes of a tiger look at night?
d. Why do they look so?
Answer:
a. He hears the sounds of the cars of guard, making rounds to check if everything is right.
b. He must be hearing the sound of other wild animals.
c. At night, the eyes of a tiger look bright and shining.
d. They look so because of the characteristic of cat family to which they belong.
Question answers:
1. How does the tiger feel in the cage?
Answer: In the cage, he is in an angry mood.
2.How does the tiger walk in the cage?
Answer: In the cage, he walks with pride.
3. How should the tiger walk through the grass?
Answer: He should walk with ease through the grass.
4. Where should the tiger hide to himself?
Answer: The tiger should hide in the shadow.
5. Who passes near the water hole?
Answer: The fat deer pass near the water hole.
6. Where is the tiger’s strength locked?
Answer: His strength is locked behind the bars
7. How does the caged tiger react to the visitors?
Answer: He ignores the visitors.
8. What sound does the tiger near at night?
Answer: The tiger hears the sound of the patrolling cars at night.
9. How do the eyes of the tiger look?
Answer: His eyes look brilliant.
10. At what does the tiger look at?
Answer: At night the tiger looks at the stars.
Short Answer Type Questions
1. What do you understand by `His strength behind bars’? What kind of a cage is he locked in?
Answer: The tiger is wretched in its cage. His power is confined behind the bars. He was locked in a small cage where he is devoid of freedom. He feels unhappy, frustrated, restless and angry.
2. Is it safe to allow tigers to live in their natural habitat these days?
Answer: Although it is ideal for tigers to live in the wild, today, it will mean certain death for them. Fast diminishing jungles and danger posed by poachers have pushed tigers to the brink of extinction, making their natural home unsafe.
3. The tiger in the poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ has some obvious limitations, describe them in contrast to its natural habitat.
Answer: The tiger in the zoo was confined to a small space. He was angry that he couldn’t be free to move, hunt and do what he pleased forced to be a showpiece; and the cage’s bars obstructed his view of the starry night. This was all unlike his natural habitat where he hunted fiercely and slept fitfully.
4. What is the theme of the poem?
Or
What message does the poet want to convey through the poem—Tiger in the Zoo’?
Answer: The poet wants to convey that it is cruel to keep wild animals in small enclosures of the zoo, away from their natural habitat. They feel angry, helpless and unhappy and remember their life and environment in the forest.
5. Why do you think the tiger was stalking in the cage? What does it show?
Answer: I think the tiger was feeling restless and uneasy in that small cage. He seems to be frustrated and helpless as he could not come out of the cage in the open and enjoy his freedom. He did not want to be a mere showpiece and a source of entertainment for human beings.
6. Describe the movement of the tiger in the cage and in the wild.
Or
What difference do you find in the mood of a tiger when he is in a zoo and when he is in a forest?
Answer: In the zoo, in his small cage and devoid of freedom, the tiger feels unhappy rather frustrated, restless and angry. In the forest, he enjoys moving majestically wherever he wants, terrorizes the villagers by displaying his sharp teeth and claws. He is happy in the forest, enjoying his liberty and surroundings, but not in the zoo.
7. What does the poet say about a tiger in his natural surroundings?
Answer: The poet says that the tiger should be in the jungle. It is his natural habitat. In the jungle, he moves in the long grass near a water hole. He hides in shadow to hunt the deer for his food.
8. Where is the strength of the tiger and how does he treat the visitors?
Answer: The tiger is imprisoned in a cage. So his strength is behind the bars. He paces to-and-fro the length of the cage. Visitors come to his cage. But he ignores those visitors.
9. How does the tiger terrify the villagers?
Answer: The tiger prowls around the houses of the villagers. He terrifies them by snarling at them. Their houses are situated near the jungle. He terrifies the villagers by baring his fangs and showing his long claws.
10. How does the tiger behave at night?
Answer: At night the tiger feels lonely. He hears the sound of the patrolling cars. He looks through the bars at the shining stars. His eyes are also shining.
11. How does the poet contrast the tiger in the cage with a tiger in the forest?
Answer: The poet says that the caged tiger is imprisoned. He is not free. He is angry. On the other hand the tiger in the jungle is free. He walks in the tall grass and hunts the deer that pass near the water hole.
12. How does the tiger walk in the cage?
Answer: The tiger walks in the cage in a proud manner. He walks quietly. But his eyes show that he is very angry at having been imprisoned in a cage. But he can’t do anything for his freedom.
13. How does the tiger stalk in the cage?
Answer: The tiger is not in his natural habitat—the jungle. the lie is locked in a cage made up of cement and concrete. He keeps on stalking inside his cage from one side to the other. He is walking in a quiet rage with his heels which are padded like velvet.
14. How does the tiger prepare himself for hunting when he is in his natural habitat — the jungle
Answer: The mighty tiger roams freely in his natural habitat – the wilds. He knows how to ambush his prey. He waits for his prey lurking unseen in the shadow of trees. He slides through the long grass quite unnoticed. He comes to the water hole where he can find his favourite prey – plump deer.
15. How does the tiger terrorise the villagers? Does he have any intention of killing them?
Answer: Sometimes, the tiger roams around freely and comes near the edge of the jungle. He comes very near to the houses of the villagers which are situated on the outskirts of the jungle. Roaming there, he opens out his white sharp teeth and paws to terrorise the villagers. He has no intention of killing them as he never attacks until he is provoked to do so.
16. How does the tiger feel locked in the concrete cell of the zoo? Why does he ignore the visitors
Answer: The tiger is basically an animal of the wilds. He is’ a denizen of the forest. Being locked in a concrete cell of the zoo, he feels quite helpless. His immense strength is of no use to him as he is put behind the bars. He only stalks the length of his cage. He ignores the visitors who came to see him after buying their tickets. He doesn’t want to present himself as an object of entertaining others.
17. What does the tiger do at night? What does he feel when he stares at the brilliant stars in the sky?
Answer: The patrolling cars move around and the tiger hears their sound late at night. He is locked in a cage but stares at the brilliant stars shining in the vast and open sky. The vast open sky and the brilliant stars only intensify the feeling of helplessness that he feels inside the cage.
18. Freedom can’t be bargained at any cost. What message does Leslie Norris give to the readers in ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’?
Answer: Not only humans but animals too cherish freedom. Freedom can’t be bargained. In this case, a tiger may be well-fed and protected. However, the curtailment of his freedom keeps him in ‘quiet rage’. He resents being behind the bars. He is a different animal when he is in his natural habitat, the jungle. He roams around the water hole and ambushes his favourite plump deer.
19. He hears the last voice at night, The patrolling cars, Who hears the last voice and of what?
Answer: The tiger hears the last voice Le, the sound of the patrolling cars at night. He is imprisoned in a cage at the zoo. The patrolling cars are making a round of the zoo to see that everything is alright.
20. And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
Why are the eyes brilliant? What is common between the eyes and the stars?
Answer: The tiger’s eyes shine brightly in the darkness of night. The stars are also shining in the sky. The common thing between the tiger’s eyes and the stars is that both are brilliant.
21. What message do you get from this poem?
Answer: From this poem, we come to know that animals like to live freely in the forest. The animals do not want to live in the zoo. Their life is pitiable in it.
22. Baring his white fangs, his claws
Terrorising the village.
Who bares his fangs and how does he terrorise the village?
Answer: The tiger bares his white fangs. He terrorises the people of the village because he keeps snarling around houses.
Long Answer Type Questions
1. Animals, big and small, is being used by humans for their selfish ends? What is your opinion regarding the exploitation of animals? Mention some examples that you can see a possible solution to this problem.
Answer: It is true that animals, big and small are being used by humans for their selfish ends. We use them for our own benefits. Animals are killed, poached and captured for commercial benefits. Humans have encroached on their space and sheltered them in zoos which is truly inhuman. In the poem, the poet has shown the plight of a tiger. He is captured and confined in a small cage. He is frustrated, angry and restless. It longs for freedom. Confinement brings bondage and bondage is cruel.
Every day we see many animals suffering due to humans. Monkeys bear captured and made to dance on roads, Elephants are chained and forced to lift heavy loads. Many animals are sheltered in zoos for the entertainment of human beings. They are kept in poor conditions. They are treated inhumanely. We should learn to respect nature and its inhabitants. After all, these animals to share the earth with us.
2. Some animals are becoming extinct; the tiger is one such animal. What do you think could be the reason? Should this decrease in number be stopped? Why?
Answer: The primary threats to the survival of tigers are poaching and habitat loss due to intensive development. The Tigers are getting extinct. The Tigers are on the list of endangered species and the reason behind it is human interference. Humans hunt tigers for their commercial benefits. The loss of habitats also leads to a reduction in prey animals, so the area can support fewer tigers. Moreover, tigers are poached for trophies such as teeth and fur and for traditional medicines. The growing population clears the forest areas to make them agricultural land for food. This creates a problem of the tiger’s habitat. Tigers are the backbone of food web and forest, hence should be protected.
3. And stares with his brilliant eyes, At the brilliant stars.’ We can no longer do that. How do we feel about the ‘tigers in the zoo’? You can even imagine yourself in captivity.
Or
When there is a natural habitat for tigers and other wild animals, is it justified for humans to shift them from there to other locations? Give a reasonable answer to justify it.
Or
The tiger in the poem is feeling miserable in a concrete cell. Does it not amount to cruelty? Express your opinion about keeping wild animals in zoos. Is there any lesson for humans?
Answer: The tiger in the poem is wretched in its cage. It longs for freedom. It may be well looked after, but the fact of the matter is that unless one is free, one is not alive. Confinement brings bondage, and bondage is cruel. One may argue that at least this way they all will not be killed and become extinct. However, taking away one’s freedom to keep one alive kill the desire to live anyhow. Even humans throughout the world oppose the chains of slavery and oppression. How are other living creatures any different? Humans have encroached on their space, and sheltering them in zoos is truly inhuman. Humans must learn to respect nature, for humans exist only due to nature.
4. Give contrasting pictures of the tiger in his natural habitat and in the locked cage of the zoo. How does he feel and behave differently in both places?
Answer: The tiger is a denizen of the forest. He loves to roam around freely in his natural habitat – the jungle. There, he is totally free with no restrictions on his movements and activities. He knows how to ambush his prey. He waits for his prey lurking silently in the shadow of the trees. Then he slides unseen and unnoticed through the long grass. He knows where he can find his favourite hunt—plump deer. It is the water hole where they come for drinking water and become easy victims of the mighty tiger. The tiger knows no boundaries and limits. Sometimes he roams around the houses which are situated on the edge of the jungle. With his open white teeth and powerful paws, he terrorises the villagers. He rarely attacks them until he is provoked.
However, it is a pathetic picture of the same tiger when he is locked in a concrete cell in the zoo. The mighty and ferocious animal is put behind the bars. There he stalks in ‘quiet rage’ the length of his cage. He becomes just a piece of entertainment for visitors. But the proud tiger just ignores them. At night from behind the bars, he keeps on staring at the brilliant stars in the vast sky. The vastness of the sky and the brilliance of stars only intensifies his loss of freedom.
5. Freedom is such an essential virtue that is valued not only by human beings but also by animals alike. Justify the statement with reference to Leslie Norris’s poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’.
Answer: Freedom is an essential virtue valued by all. Not only humans but even the denizens of the forest value it. No one knows it better than a caged tiger in a zoo. Animals, particularly the animals of the wilds, feel free only in their natural habitats. Any attempt to ‘domesticate’ ferocious and mighty animals like lions or tigers by locking them in concrete cells will be against natural justice. The tiger roams around in the jungle hunting its prey at will. He rarely kills his prey for sport. He kills them only when he is hungry. He knows how to ambush his prey. He lurks unnoticed in the long grass before pouncing upon his prey. He also knows where he can find his favourite plump deer. He may come out of the forest sometimes and terrorise -the villagers living at the outskirts of the jungle. He rarely kills them till he is provoked.
The same tiger feels depressed and low in spirits when he is put behind the bars. He stalks constantly the length of his cage in his ‘quiet rage’. He ignores the visitors and feels helpless. Behind the bars, he keeps on staring at the brilliant stars in the open sky. This sadly reminds him of his loss of freedom and intensifies his grief.
N. B. Courtesy: Google
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