Complete Text
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
Theme of the Poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’
The poem 'A Tiger in the Zoo' by Leslie Norris describes the restricted and confined life of a majestic tiger that is caged in a concrete cell. The poem highlights the contrast between the tiger's natural habitat in the wild, where it roams freely in the jungle, and its current situation in captivity. The poem also emphasizes the tiger's frustration and quiet rage as it paces back and forth in its cage, unable to satisfy its natural instincts. The poem ends with the tiger staring at the stars through the bars of its cage, reminding the reader of the animal's innate beauty and power that is now being wasted.
Summary of the Poem ‘ A Tiger in the Zoo’
Leslie Norris' poem highlights the suffering and helplessness of a captive tiger living in a zoo. The poet portrays the life the tiger could have had if it were free in the wild, hunting and hiding in the long grass near a water body, terrorizing the villages near the forest. Instead, the tiger is confined to a small cage made of strong building material, stripped of its natural freedom and power. The tiger's anger and frustration towards its captivity are evident throughout the poem.
The poet's use of vivid imagery, such as the description of the tiger's beautiful stripes and soft velvet paws, creates a stark contrast to the animal's miserable situation. The tiger's captivity has stripped it of its natural instincts and personality, rendering it powerless and agonized. The poet suggests that humans have confined the tiger solely for their own pleasure, with no regard for the animal's well-being or natural habitat.
While zoos may argue that they provide conservation efforts and educational opportunities, the poem challenges us to consider the impact of captivity on wild animals. The tiger's life in the zoo cage has been reduced to a mere shadow of what it could have been in the wild, and the poem serves as a powerful reminder of the cost of our desire for entertainment and amusement.
Contrast in the Poem
The poem 'A Tiger in the Zoo' by Leslie Norris highlights several contrasts between the tiger's life in the wild and its life in captivity. Here are some of the key contrasts in the poem:
Freedom vs. Confinement: The poem contrasts the tiger's freedom to roam in the jungle with its confinement in a small concrete cell. In the wild, the tiger can move freely, while in captivity, it is restricted to a small space.
Natural Habitat vs. Artificial Environment: The poem contrasts the tiger's natural habitat in the jungle, where it can hunt and interact with its environment, with its artificial environment in the zoo, where it is surroundings.
Power vs. Helplessness: The poem contrasts the tiger's power and strength in the wild, where it can terrorize villages and hunt prey, with its helplessness in captivity, where it is unable to satisfy its natural instincts and has become a mere spectacle for visitors.
Vibrancy vs. Monotony: The poem contrasts the vibrant and dynamic life of the tiger in the jungle with the monotony of its life in the zoo, where it paces back and forth in its cage, ignoring visitors.
Natural Rhythm vs. Human Schedule: The poem contrasts the tiger's natural rhythm of life in the jungle, where it hunts and sleeps according to its instincts, with the human schedule imposed on it in captivity, where it is fed and observed according to a set routine.
Overall, the contrasts in the poem highlight the stark difference between the tiger's natural life in the wild and its artificial existence in captivity, evoking a sense of sympathy for the animal's restricted and limited existence.
Detailed Explanation
In the opening 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.
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
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 to humans.
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.
In the 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.
THINKING ABOUT THE POEM
Q1. 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 cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.
ANSWER:
Movements and actions of the tiger in the cage:
Stalks
Walks
Moves slowly
Ignores visitors
Stares at the stars
Walks quietly on velvet pads
Movements and actions of the tiger in the wild:
Lurking
Sliding
Hiding
Snarling
Baring teeth and claws
Attacking prey
Growling
(ii) Find the words that describe the two places, and arrange them in two
columns.
ANSWER:
Words that describe the tiger's location in the cage:
Concrete cell
Small cage
Locked
Confined
Bars
Visitors
Patrolling cars
Words that describe the tiger's location in the wild:
Shadow
Long grass
Water hole
Jungle's edge
Houses
Forest
Village
Now try to share ideas about how the poet uses words and images to contrast
the two situations.
ANSWER:
In "A Tiger in the Zoo," Leslie Norris uses words and images to create a stark contrast between the tiger's life in the zoo and its life in the wild. The poet paints vivid pictures of the tiger in both settings, highlighting the stark differences between the two.
The tiger in the zoo is described as being "locked in a concrete cell" and confined to a "small cage." It walks "quietly on velvet pads" and ignores the visitors who come to see it. The cage is a far cry from the tiger's natural habitat in the wild. The poet contrasts this confinement with the tiger's life in the jungle, where it would be "lurking in shadow," "sliding through long grass," and hiding to prevent other animals from noticing its movement. The tiger would be able to move freely in the forest and hunt for its prey, whereas in the zoo, it is forced to rely on humans for food.
The tiger's behavior in the two settings is also vastly different. In the jungle, the tiger is a fearsome predator, growling at the edge of the jungle near the village, baring its teeth and claws, and terrorizing the villagers. In contrast, the tiger in the zoo has been stripped of its power and strength. It is "helpless" and unable to act on its natural instincts. It moves slowly and quietly, paying no attention to the visitors who come to see it.
The poet also uses imagery to contrast the two settings. In the zoo, the tiger is "stalking the length of his cage," while in the jungle, it would be "sliding through long grass." The stripes on the tiger's body, which are described as "vivid" in the zoo, would help it blend in with the long grass and shadows of the jungle.
The final stanza of the poem is particularly powerful in its contrast between the two settings. The tiger, unable to sleep, hears the sound of the patrolling car in the zoo, while in the wild, it would be surrounded by the sounds of the forest. The tiger's brilliant eyes, which stare at the stars in the zoo, would be shining brightly in the darkness of the jungle.
Q2. 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:
The repetition of the word "quiet" and "brilliant" in the lines creates a sense of emphasis on these particular qualities of the tiger's behavior and appearance. The use of repetition helps to reinforce these qualities and draws the reader's attention to them. In the first example, the repetition of "quiet" in different contexts - "pads of velvet quiet" and "quiet rage" - creates a contrast between the outward calmness of the tiger's movement and the underlying sense of anger or frustration. In the second example, the repetition of "brilliant" emphasizes the brightness and intensity of the tiger's gaze as he looks up at the stars. Overall, the repetition of these words adds depth and texture to the poem, highlighting the vivid and complex nature of the tiger's character.
Q3. Read the following two poems — one about a tiger and the other about a panther.
Then discuss:
Are zoos necessary for the protection or conservation of some species of
animals? Are they useful for educating the public? Are there alternatives
to zoos?
Poem 1: The Tiger by PETER NIBLETT
The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage snarls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage roars.
Then he thinks.
It would be nice not to be behind bars all
The time
Because they spoil my view
I wish I were wild, not on show.
But if I were wild, hunters might shoot me,
But if I were wild, food might poison me,
But if I were wild, water might drown me.
Then he stops thinking
And...
The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage snarls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage roars.
Poem 2: The Panther by RAINER MARIA RILKE
His vision, from the constantly passing bars,
has grown so weary that it cannot hold
anything else. It seems to him there are
a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world.
As he paces in cramped circles, over and over,
the movement of his powerful soft strides
is like a ritual dance around a centre
in which a mighty will stands paralysed.
Only at times, the curtain of the pupils
lifts, quietly. An image enters in,
rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles,
plunges into the heart and is gone.
ANSWER:
The two poems present a contrast in their depiction of animals in captivity. While "The Tiger" by Peter Niblett portrays a tiger in a zoo growling and snarling, expressing its desire to be free, "The Panther" by Rainer Maria Rilke depicts a panther in a cage with a weariness that comes from being in captivity for so long. Both poems suggest that animals in captivity suffer and long for freedom.
This raises questions about the necessity of zoos for the protection or conservation of some species of animals. While some argue that zoos are necessary for preserving endangered species, others argue that the stress and trauma of being in captivity can be detrimental to animals. Additionally, some argue that zoos are not effective in educating the public about conservation efforts and can perpetuate the idea that animals are objects to be displayed for human entertainment.
There are alternatives to zoos, such as wildlife sanctuaries and nature reserves, where animals can live in more natural habitats and receive the care they need without the stress of captivity. Additionally, technology has made it possible to view and learn about animals in their natural habitats through documentaries and virtual reality experiences.
In conclusion, while the debate about the necessity and usefulness of zoos for the protection and conservation of some species of animals continues, it is important to consider the well-being of the animals and explore alternatives that prioritize their physical and emotional needs.
Take a point of view for or against zoos, or even consider both points of view
and write a couple of paragraphs or speak about this topic for a couple of
minutes in class.
Q4. Take a point of view for or against zoos, or even consider both points of view and write a couple of paragraphs or speak about this topic for a couple of minutes in class.
ANSWER:
Zoos have always been a topic of controversy, with both pros and cons to their existence. On the one hand, zoos are often established for the protection and conservation of endangered species. Many zoos have successful breeding programs that have helped to increase the population of some endangered animals. These animals may not survive in the wild due to factors such as habitat destruction, poaching, and climate change. Zoos also provide a safe and secure environment where animals can receive medical care and attention, and where they are protected from predators and other dangers.
On the other hand, keeping animals in captivity for the entertainment of humans is often seen as unethical. Many argue that animals in zoos are subjected to small enclosures that do not reflect their natural habitat. The animals are often stressed and may exhibit abnormal behaviour as a result of their confinement. Even the best zoos cannot provide the same level of freedom and natural environment that animals would have in the wild. Additionally, zoos may contribute to the exploitation of animals for human benefit.
To conclude, while zoos may have some benefits for conservation and education, there are also significant ethical concerns associated with keeping animals in captivity. There are alternatives to zoos, such as wildlife sanctuaries, which provide animals with large, natural environments where they can live without human interference. In the end, it is important to consider the well-being of the animals and balance that with the potential benefits of zoos.
Literary Devices Used in the Poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ by Leslie Norris
Several literary devices have been used in the poem "The Tiger" by Leslie Norris.
Imagery: The poet has used vivid imagery to describe the tiger's physical appearance and its movements. For example, "velvet quiet", "brilliant stars", and "soft pads" are all examples of imagery used in the poem.
Repetition: The poet has used repetition to emphasize the tiger's anger and frustration. The phrase "The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls, / The tiger behind the bars of his cage snarls, / The tiger behind the bars of his cage roars" is repeated several times in the poem.
Personification: The poet has personified the tiger by attributing human emotions and thoughts to it. For example, the tiger "thinks" and "stops thinking" in the poem.
Metaphor: The poet has used metaphor to describe the tiger's confinement in the cage. For example, the cage is described as a "prison" and the tiger's captivity is referred to as "chains".
Symbolism: The tiger in the poem can be seen as a symbol of freedom and power that is being oppressed by humans.
Assonance: "On pads of velvet quiet" - the repetition of the "i" sound in "pads", "velvet", and "quiet".
"Stalks in his vivid stripes" - the repetition of the "i" sound in "stalks" and "stripes".
"And stares with his brilliant eyes" - the repetition of the "i" sound in "stares" and "brilliant".
"The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls" - the repetition of the "i" sound in "tiger", "behind", "bars", "cage", and "growls".Onomatopoeia: “snarl” and “growl”.
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