2

(A Tiger in the Zoo)

Thinking about the Poem

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 cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.

(ii)   Fin d 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 1:

(I). In the cage	In the wild
1.     Stalks in quiet rage.	1.     Lurking in the shadow.
2.     Stalking the length of his cage.	2.     Sliding through long grass.
3.     Ignoring visitors.	3.     Snarling around houses.
4.     Hears the last voice of patrolling cars.	4.     Baring his white fangs.
5.     Stares at the stars.	5.     Terrorizing the village.

(ii).

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

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 thin k is the effect of this repetition?

Answer 2:

This repetition is a poetic device used by the poet to increase the zeal of the tiger's rage and its helpless silence. 'Velvet quiet' refers to the quiet velvet pads of the tiger, which cannot run or jug m p. They can only walk in the limited space of the cage. The use of 'quiet rage' symbolizes the fury and fierceness that is shaping up inside the tiger as it wants to run out to the forest and hit a deer, but the rage is silent because it is unable to come out in the open as it is in the cage.

This double use of 'quiet' has brought massive beauty to the poem. Similarly, the use of 'brilliant' for the tiger's eyes as well as the stars also brings out the brilliance of these lines. The tiger has a dream of becoming free in its 'brilliant' eyes. It sees the stars (that have also been described as brilliant) with the same eyes. It glares at the gleaming stars with its brilliant eyes thinking about how beautiful its life could be in the forest. The repetitiveness of these words gives an amazing 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 n 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 N IBLETT

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.

                RAIN ER MARIA RILKE

Answer 3:

The Zoo is an essential place for some animals as they could be hunted, poisoned by some wild food, or could drown in water in the forest.

They also make the public aware about the nature of animals and are trying to make human beings friendly with animals. However, a zoo is not the right replacement for a forest. In a zoo, an animal would feel imprisoned, bound, and not free to move around in the wild. It is for this reason that wildlife sanctuaries and national parks have been made, to conserve a number of endangered species. These places provide security as well as natural surroundings to these species.

They can move freely in their habitats and are safe too. Even the public can visit these parks

And get educated about the animals and their lifestyles. The parks and sanctuaries follow a severe set of rules, the most important being the ban on hunting. Since the animals are in the open, visitors are not allowed to feed them and cannot behave badly or try to play with them as they are under strict supervision. Such incidents have been recorded in zoos where people annoy and tease the animals.

Hence, a wild life sanctuary is a good option for animals to be safe as well as in their natural surroundings.

Question 4: 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 4:

This is a class room activity. So do yourself under your subject teacher's guidance.