A Tiger In The Zoo(English)

About the Poet George Leslie Norris (1921-2006):-He was a award winning welsh poet and short story writer. He is considered as most important welsh writers of the post war period and his litrary works have won many prizes. His famous works are Finding gold, The loud winder, phoenix living poets series:Ransom etc.                   Introduction: The poem written by Leslie Norris exlains the agony and helplessness of a caged tiger that lived in a zoo. The poet exlains what his life could be if he had been a free animal. The poet has tried to explain about the conditions of animals that are caged by human being for their own fun.                                         . Summary :The poem begins with a description of a tiger that is very beautiful and is walking in his little cage.. He has beautiful stripes on his skin and has velvet like soft paws. But the tiger is not happy and is quite angry about being confined in the cage.The poet says that if the tiger was not confined to the zoo cage, he would have been hiding himself behind the long grass near some water body.In order to catch its prey that is the  deer. Also he would have terrorized the residents of the villages around the forest area. But the reality is totally opposite to this.. He was confined to the cage which was made up of strong building material and he was helpless there.. He could not show his power to the visitors.. He says that during night also he is alone, hearing the voice of the patrolling vehicles of forest gaurds and looking at the stars. The cage life has totally changed the tigers personality. The poet is trying to say that the animal which is famous  for its fearlessness and freedom is confined and sad due to the human beings who want to derive pleasure by looking at him. In zoo cage.                                       Explanation  of extracts from Poem:-                                              . "He stalks in his vivid strips              The few steps of his cage,........... On pads of velvet quite,               ...ln his quite rage."      ..             ..   Word Meaning :Stalk: follows    ....Vivid:bright coloured.                . Pads:paws of tiger                          Rage:anger.                    .................Here the poet says that the tiger that is confined in the cage under his bright colourd skin. He further says  that the tiger can take only a few steps because the cage is small and it is not easy to move in it. One can not hear his footsteps. The tiger tries to control his anger by quietly walking in the limited area of his cage. He is angry because he is not free.                                    Poetical Devises:-(1) Rhythming scheme :abcb(cage -rage)               (2) Personification:-The tiger is personified because the poet refer him as"he"                         ..... (3)Metaphor :Tigers paws are compared with Velvet        ........... (4)Enjambment :Sentence is continuing  to next line without any punctuation mark.          ......... (5)Imagery :-Poet tries to creat an image about the tiger.                .....(6)Consonance:use of 's' sound (stalk, his, stripes)....                   ....(7)Assonance :-Use of vovel sound "I" (in his vivid stipes)      ....(8) Oxymoron :Use of adjectives opposite in meaning (Quite, rage)    " He should be lurking in shadow                                 ............Sliding through long grass...............                         ........Near the water hole..............where plump dear pass. "                                             Difficult word:-Lurking:To be hidden as to wait for your prey. ....Explanation :- The poet say if this tiger was free, he would have hid himself behind the long grass near the water bodies so that he could easily catch a deer in order to have it as its food. Basically poet wants to say that the actual life of tiger is to live in jungle where he could catch his prey and eat it but the tiger in the cage can not do so.

  Literary Devices :- (1).Rhyme Rhyme scheme is abcb (grass-pass)(2)Enjambment :-Line continue to next line without punctation mark(Sliding through.... deer pass)(3)Alitration :use of "p" sound at the start of two words(plump pass) (4)Imagry :The poet has tries to create an image of tigers activities (lurking in shadow )                                      .Extract :-" He should be snarling around houses                        ......At the jungles edge                    Barring  his white fanges, his claws,                                             ...Terrorising the village "                 Difficult Word meaning (a)Snarling :Warning sound made by animals (b)Barring:uncovered (c)Fangs:Sharp tooth of animal.  Explanation:The poet says that if the tiger  would have been free, he would have snarled around the houses located at the outskrits of the forest. He would terrorise people with his sharp teeths. This would create fear among  the people living in the village.      .......Poetical Devices (1)Rhyme Scheme:- abcb (edge -village )     (2)Enjambment :-Line continue to next line without punctation mark "He shouid be snarling around houses At the jungle edge."           (3) Onomatopoeia:Using words which denote sound(snarling )... (4)Assonance :-Use of vowel sound 'o' and 'i' (Should, around, houses)(Barring, his, white, his) (5) Consonance :Use of consonant sound "s" (this, fangs, his, claws)                                           Extract :-"But he's  locked in concrete cell,                                 ...His strength behind bars,         ..Stalking the length of his cage... Ignoring visitors. "                           .Difficult word:-Concrete :Building made of bricks, cement, sand and water.                                Explanation :Now the poet comes to the reality of tiger that is inside the cage. He says  that the tiger is confined in strong cell. Which is made of strong building material.. He  further says that as the tiger is behind bars, so his ferociousness also behind bars. He just stalks in the cage. He never tries to terrorise the visitors because his power is restricted by the cage. Therefore, he never tries to terrorise the visitors as he can not attack them.

Llterary devices :-(1) Rhyme scheme:abcb (bars-visitors)           (2)Personification :The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as "he'              ..............(3)Assonance :Use of vowel sound 'e:(the, locked, concrete, cell)                                      .............(4)Consonance:use of consonant sound's'(this, strength, bars)  ...... (5)Alliteration :use of 'b' at the start of two words(behind, bars)

Extract :-"He hears the last voice at night,                                       .... The patrolling cars,                   ....And stares with his brilliant eyes                                         .........At the brilliant stars."              Difficult words (a)Patroling:to guard, to vigil                                .Explanation :-The poet says that in the night, tiger hears the sound of the patrolling cars. Patroling cars are the vehicles of forest guards which are used to guard at night. So, in the night the tiger hears the sounds of these cars. He then stares at the shining stars with his shining eyes. The poet wants to say that the tiger is sad and as he is confined in the cage, so he cannot do anything. Therefore, he stares at the stars in the night and tries to divert his thought towards them.   ............... Literary devices :(1)Rhyme scheme :abcb (cars-stars).           .... On the basis of above abstract following questions can also be asked.      .....             ........Q(1)Why the tiger could walk only a few steps?            ........Answer:-The tiger could walk only a few steps.                     ...... Q(2)How does the tiger move in the cage?                                  ........Answer:-The tiger moves very slowly and quietly in a threatning way.                        .......Q(3)What are the two qualities of the animal under refrence?...                                     .. Answer:-The tiger has vivid stripes on his body and soft velvet pads.                                                      ... Q(4)Why is he in quite rage? CBSE 2014)   Answer:-He is in quite rage as he is locked and his freedom has been curtailed. Thus, he is unable to show his anger and ferocity.                   ..... Q(5)Who is "He' here?               .... Answer :-'He' refers to the tiger. ...Find answers to these important questions:Q(1)Describe the tiger in the cage.?  Q(2)Give a sketch of the tiger in the forest? Q(3)Where should the tiger have been according to poet? Q(4)What does the tiger do in his cage? Q(5)For what reason should the tiger snarl around  houses at the edge of forest? Q(6) Why do you think the tiger looks at the stars? Q(7) What does the poet want to exhibit through the poems? Q(8)Why do you think that the tiger was stalking in his cage? What does it shows?