Rohit Yadav
Thinking about the Poem
Question 1. Read the poem again and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks.
1. Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.
Answer1:
* In the Cage
Stalks, a Few steps from his cage, Quiet rage Locked in a concrete cell, Stalking-the length of his cage Ignoring visitors. He hears the last voice Stare at the brilliant stars.
* In the Wild
Lurking in shadow, Sliding through long grass, Snarling around houses, Baring his white fangs, his claws, Terrorising the village
2. 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 2:
* Cage. * Wild
Few steps of his Shadow, Long grass, cage, Water
Locked, Concrete hole, Plump deer,
cell,
Behind bars, Houses at the jungle’s edge,
Visitors,
Patrolling cars. Village
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 increase the intensity of the tiger’s rage and his helpless silence.‘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’ symbolizes 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.
Question 3. 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?
The Tiger
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.
– Peter Niblett
The Panther
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 center
in which a mighty will stands paralyzed.
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.
– Rainer Maria Rilke
Several species of animals are on the verge of
extinction. Even tigers and lions are not safe in the forest due to poaching that is done for trade, etc. Zoos are, thus, necessary for the protection or conservation of these species. Zoos are safe and can also be used to educate the public about the importance of wild animals and their role in maintaining the ecological ‘ balance. Wildlife sanctuaries, reserves, and national parks are some alternatives to zoos. These not only help in the protection and conservation of these species but also provide them with a natural habitat.
3. A Tiger in the Zoo (Poem) MCQ
Question 1.
What does the tiger look at at night?
(a) Patrolling cars
(b) His House
(c) Stars
(d) All of the Above
Answer
(c) Stars
Question 2.
How do the eyes of the tiger look?
(a) Sad
(b) brilliant
(c) dark
(d) Light
Answer
(b) brilliant
Question 3.
How does the caged tiger react to the visitors?
(a) He ignores them
(b) With a happy face
(c) With a sad face
(d) Proudly
Answer
(a) He ignores them
Question 4.
Who passes near the water hole?
(a) Fat Pig
(b) Fat Buffalo
(c) Fat Deer
(d) All of the Above
Answer
(c) Fat Deer
Question 5.
Where should the tiger hide to himself?
(a) behind the tree
(b) in the shadow
(c) in the house
(d) in the jungle
Answer
(b) in the shadow
Question 6.
What described “tiger in a jungle”?
(a) Locked in a concrete cell
(b) his strength behind bars
(c) ignoring visitors
(d) baring his white fangs
Answer
(d) baring his white fangs
Question 7.
By “ignoring visitors”, what is the poet trying to say?
(a) tiger knows his power is restricted
(b) there is no use in showing rage
(c) he is less terrorizing because of the cage
(d) all of the above
Answer
(d) all of the above
Question 8.
Name the poetic device used in the line “Baring his white fangs, his claws”.
(a) metaphor
(b) assonance
(c) Oxymoron
(d) Consonance
Answer
(d) Consonance
Question 9.
Name the poetic device used in the line “He stalks in his vivid stripes”.
(a) metaphor
(b) assonance
(c) Oxymoron
(a) tiger
(d) Consonance
Answer
(d) Consonance
Question 10.
What has been personified in the poem?
(a) tiger
(b) Forest
(c) zoo
(d) all of the above
Answer
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