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A Tiger in the Zoo


Message : The poem "A Tiger in the Zoo" conveys the message that wild animals belong in their natural habitat and should not be confined to captivity for human entertainment. The poem highlights the contrast between the tiger's natural freedom and its suffering in the zoo, emphasizing the cruelty of taking away an animal's freedom. It suggests that just like humans, animals also crave freedom and do not thrive in confinement.

 Answer 1:

                   In the Cage

Stalks, Few steps of his cage, Quiet rage Locked in concrete cell, Stalking-the length of his cage Ignoring visitors. He hears the last voice Stares 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.

 Answer 2:

Cage

Wild

Few steps of his cage,

Shadow, Long grass, Water

Locked, Concrete cell,

hole, Plump deer,

Behind bars, Visitors,

Houses at jungle’s edge,

Patrolling cars

Village

Answer 3: 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 he is locked in the cage and is helpless. The repetition of ‘quiet’ has, thus, 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 stares at the brilliant stars with his brilliant eyes dreaming about how beautiful his life could be in the forest. The repetition thus, gives a wonderful effect to the poem.

HOTS

Q: Animals, big and small, is being used by humans for their selfish ends? What is your opinion regarding the exploitation of animals? Mention some examples that you can see a possible solution to this problem.

Ans. It is true that animals, big and small are being used by humans for their selfish ends. We use them for our own benefits. Animals are killed, poached and captured for commercial benefits. Humans have encroached on their space and sheltered them in zoos which are truly inhuman. In the poem, the poet has shown the plight of a tiger. He is captured and confined in a small cage. He is frustrated, angry and restless. It longs for freedom. Confinement brings bondage and bondage is cruelty. Every day we see many animals suffering due to humans. Monkeys and bear captured and made to dance on roads, Elephants are chained and forced to lift heavy loads. Many animals are sheltered in zoos for the entertainment of human beings. They are kept in poor conditions. We should learn to respect nature and its inhabitants. After all, these animals too need to share the earth with us. 

VBQ 
3. Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment.
  
Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment. Ans. It is rightly said that love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Everyone loves freedom and does not want to live in confinement. Similarly, the tiger also longed for freedom. He was so fed up being caged that he even ignored the visitors. He took to and fro steps in the cage as if trying to while away the time. The tiger wanted to escape this captivity. God has made all living beings equally and thus, the animals too have the right to freedom. They should not be caged. It is their right to enjoy their natural habitat i.e. the forest and run freely in the wild. We should, thus, respect their freedom and should not put them in the zoo.

Poetic Devices:

 Rhyme Scheme: There are two different rhyme schemes in the poem. They are abcb and abcd. The rhyme scheme for first, second, third and fifth stanza is abcb and for and fourth stanza is abcd


i. Personification - The poet refers to the tiger as ‘he’. Thus, the tiger has been personified.
ii. Metaphor - The paws of tiger have been compared with velvet. “On pads of velvet quiet”
iii. Enjambment - The sentence is being continued to the next line.
Sliding through long grass
Near the waterhole
iv. Alliteration - It is the repetition of a letter at the start of closely placed words –
"plum pass". There is repetition of the letter 'p'.
“behind bars”. There is repetition of the letter 'b'.
"he hears". There is repetition of the letter 'h'.
v. Imagery
- Detailed visual description about the tiger –
‘He stalks in his vivid stripes.’
-A brief description of the tiger’s activities
‘lurking in shadow’, ‘sliding through long grass’.
vi. Oxymoron –
The two words “quiet rage” which are opposite in meaning.
vii. Synecdoche - Here, the phrase ‘vivid stripes’ is used for the whole body of the tiger.
viii. Onomatopoeia - In this stanza, the word ‘snarling’, denotes the aggressive sound made by the tiger.
ix. Repetition - The words ‘quiet’ and ‘brilliant’ has been repeated.
On pads of velvet quiet, In his quiet rage.
And stares with his brilliant eyes, At the brilliant stars.


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