Grade 10 English

Book First Flight

A Tiger In The Zoo by Leslie Norris

Summary

The poet has compared the ac vi es of a ger in the zoo with the ger in its natural
habitat. The Tiger moves slowly and quietly inside the cage in his very bright stripes.
He takes a few steps in his cage on pads of velvet quiet and humbly snarled in his
quiet rage. The Tiger should be wai ng somewhere secretly in the shadow, sliding
through the long grass of the wild, near the water-hole in a forest for wild animals
where the plump dear pass.

The Tiger should be showing his teeth and making angry noises around houses at the
edge of the jungle showing his white fangs, his claws and terrorising the village. But
now the Tiger is locked up in a concrete cell and all his strength is kept behind bars.
He spends his me stalking the length of his cage and ignoring all visitors. The voice
of the patrolling cars is the last voice he hears every night and that is when he stares
with his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars above.

Textbook Ques ons

Ques: Read the poem again and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks.

1. Find the words that describe the movements and ac ons of the ger in the
cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.
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 situa ons.

Answer: 1. In the Cage - Stalks, Few steps of his cage, Quiet rage, Locked in a
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.

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 2.

Cage Wild

Few Steps of His Cage Shadow Long Grass, Water

Locked Concrete Cell Hole, plump dear

Behind Bars Visitors Houses of Jungles Edge

Patrolling Cars Village

Ques: No ce the use of a word repeated in lines such as these

1. On pads of velvet quiet, In his quiet rage.

2. And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.
What do you think is the e ect of this repe on?

Answer: This repe on is a poe c device used by the poet in order to increase the
intensity of the ger’s rage and his helpless silence. ‘Velvet quiet’ refers to the quiet
velvet pads of the ger, 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 ger as it wants to run out into the forest and a ack a
deer, but the rage is quiet because he is locked in the cage and is helpless. The
repe on of ‘quiet’ has, thus, brought immense beauty to the poem. Similarly, the
use of ‘brilliant’ for the ger’s eyes as well as the stars also brings out the
magni cence of these lines. The ger stares at the brilliant stars with his brilliant
eyes dreaming about how beau ful his life could have been in the forest. The
repe on thus gives a wonderful e ect to the poem.

The Rhyme Scheme in the poem is abcb in every verse throughout the poem.

Poe c Devices

Metaphor : The pads of the ger’s feet are compared to velvet.

Oxymoron : The two words ‘quiet rage’ which each give an opposing sense to the
other, has been placed side by side by the poet to enhance the poe c e ect.

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 Personi ca on : The ger which is an animal has been given a human characteris c,
and addressed as ‘he’ throughout the poem.

Allitera on : plump deer pass. The sound p is repeated for enhanced poe c e ect.

Repe on : The word quiet has been repeated twice, in velvet quiet, and quiet rage.
This is to done to enhance the poe c e ect.

The word brilliant has also been repeated twice.

Anaphora : When consecu ve lines or stanzas begin with the same word then the
poet is said to be employing the device of Anaphora.

All the stanzas except the fourth one begin with ‘he’.

Enjambment : The same sentence running through consecu ve lines of poetry.

In the second and the third stanzas, the poet has used Enjambment, as a single
sentence is running through the lines of the stanza.
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