Tiger in The Zoo

TIGER IN THE ZOO
-LESLIE NORRIS
I SUMMARY:
This poem contrasts a tiger in the zoo with the tiger in its natural habitat. The poem moves
from the zoo to the jungle, and back again to the zoo. The poem provides a contrast in the
mood and environment of a tiger when he is in the zoo and a tiger when he is in the forest. In
the zoo, he has no freedom. He is kept in a cemented cell behind the bars. He feels angry,
frustrated and helpless. This reminds him of his natural habitat, his hiding and sliding in the
long grass near the water hole and pouncing upon the fat deer, the way he terrorised the
villagers, displaying his sharp teeth and claws.
At night in the zoo he hears the sounds of patrolling cars. The tiger in the zoo appears
helpless as to be a mere showpiece and source of entertainment to people. 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 in the cage. He pays no attention to
the visitors who came to watch him. In the silence of the night, he stares at the brilliant stars
with his bright eyes.
II Literary 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)
Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)
Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)
III Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
(i) He stalks in his vivid stripes,

The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
(a) Why the tiger could walk only a few steps?

(b) How does the tiger move in the cage?
(c) What are the two qualities of the animal under reference?
(d) Why is he in quiet rage?
Answer:
(a) The tiger could walk only a few steps because he was locked in a very small cage.
(b) The tiger moves very slowly and quietly in a threatening way.
(c) The tiger has vivid stripes on his body and soft velvet pads.
(d) He is in quiet rage as he is locked and his freedom has been curtailed. Thus, he is
unable to show his anger and ferocity.
(ii) He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass,
Near the water hole,
Where plump deer pass.
(a) Who is ‘He’ here?

(b) Where should he be lurking?
(c) Where should he be sliding?
(d) Who would pass through the water hole?
Answer:
(a) ‘He’ refers to the tiger.
(b) He should be lurking in the shadows in the forest.
(c) The tiger should be sliding through the long grass in the forest.
(d) A plump deer would pass through the water hole.
(iii) He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,

Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
(a) What does the poet try to suggest through these lines?
(b) How does the tiger scare the people?
(c) Why does ‘he’ snarl?
(d) How does ‘he’ show his presence?
Answer:
(a) The poet is trying to suggest that the tiger should be allowed to live in his natural habitat.
(b) The tiger scares the people by growling at them and showing his teeth and claws.
(c) ‘He’ snarls to show his anger and helplessness.
(d) ‘He’ shows his presence by baring his white teeth and claws.
(iv) He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,

Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
(a) What does the poet try to suggest through these lines?
(b) How does the tiger scare the people?
(c) Why does ‘he’ snarl?
(d) How does ‘he’ show his presence?
Answer:
(a) The poet is trying to suggest that the tiger should be allowed to live in his natural habitat.
(b) The tiger scares the people by growling at them and showing his teeth and claws.
(c) ‘He’ snarls to show his anger and helplessness.
(d) ‘He’ shows his presence by baring his white teeth and claws.
(v) He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,
And stares With his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
(a) What kind of voices does the tiger hear?
(b) Where does the tiger look at in the night?
(c) What do you mean by ‘patrolling’?
(d) What is the effect of the repeated use of the word ‘brilliant’?
Answer:
(a) The tiger hears the voice coming from the patrolling cars at night.
(b) The tiger looks at the brilliant stars shining in the sky at the night.
(c) ‘Patrolling’ means to go around an area at regular times to check that it is safe.
(d) The repeated use of brilliant shows the contrast. The brilliant stars are free while the
brilliant eyes are inside the cage.
IV Answer the following in 40-50 words:
1. How does a tiger create terror for the villagers?

The tiger creates terror for the villagers by snarling
around their houses as they are situated near the jungle. He frightens them by showing his
white fangs and claws.
2. Leslie Norris has described some of the activities of a tiger behind the bars of its cage.
Write them.
Some of the activities of the tiger behind the bars of its cage includes stalking along the
length of the cage, ignoring visitors, hearing patrolling cars and staring at the brilliant stars
shining in the sky.
3. Describe the tiger in the cage.

The tiger in the cage is just a diminished form of his original self. He paces up and down in
the cage restlessly. He is confined in the narrow cell and keeps staring the stars as if longing
for freedom. He is helpless and draws pity for his condition.
4. Describe the tiger in the wild.

The tiger in the wild is majestic. He is free and lies under the shades and hunts for prey. He
moves near the water because food is in plenty there. Sometimes he growls and terrorises
the villagers.
5. Why does the tiger express his rage quietly?

The tiger expresses his rage quietly because
there is nothing he can do from behind the bars of his cage. He is helpless as his strength
now lies inside the cage. He is no longer free as he was in the jungle.
6. What is the tiger doing? Why is he ignoring the visitors?

The tiger is slowly and quietly moving along the length of the cage in a threatening manner.
He is ignoring the visitors because he considers them devoid of any feelings. None of them
thinks of releasing him from his prison. Thus, he stops taking any notice of them.
7. Why do you think the tiger looks at the stars?

The tiger feels very helpless in the cage. He stares with hope at the brilliant stars shining in
the sky. He hopes for the day when he would be able to run free in the wild. The brilliant
stars, thus, provides him with some sort of comfort.

Tiger in The Zoo - Leslie Norris I Summary

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Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage)

(i) He stalks in his vivid stripes,

(a) Why the tiger could walk only a few steps?

(ii) He should be lurking in shadow,

(a) Who is ‘He’ here?

(iii) He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,

(iv) He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,

(v) He hears the last voice at night,

IV Answer the following in 40-50 words:

1. How does a tiger create terror for the villagers?

3. Describe the tiger in the cage.

4. Describe the tiger in the wild.

5. Why does the tiger express his rage quietly?

6. What is the tiger doing? Why is he ignoring the visitors?

7. Why do you think the tiger looks at the stars?

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