A TIGER IN THE

ZOO
LESSLIE NORRIS
ABOUT THE POET: LESLIE NORRIS
Insert the Subtitle of Your Presentation
George Leslie Norris (21 May 1921 – 6 April
2006), was a prize-winning Welsh poet and
short story writer. He taught at academic
institutions in Britain and the United States,
including Brigham Young University. Norris is
considered one of the most important Welsh
writers of the post-war period, and his literary
publications have won many prizes.
 Introduction
01 This poem contrasts a
tiger in the zoo with the
tiger in its natural habitat.
02 The poem moves from the
zoo to the jungle, and back
again to the zoo.
 Themes
The poem examines the
feelings of loss and In this poem, the poet is
imprisonment that a tiger in conveying an important
a zoo experiences, as well
as the contrast between the message that wild
animal’s wild, untamed soul animals should be in
and the constrained life it is
forced to live in captivity.
their natural habitat.

AGONY AND HELPLESSNESS

The comparison between
wild animals’ freedom
and their lives in captivity
is the theme of Leslie
Norris’ poem “A Tiger in
the Zoo.”
The tiger, since it is caged, is
agonised and seems
helplessness. It is cramped up
in a small space which is in
contrast with its natural
habitat.
FREEDOM
Not only human beings but
all creatures deserve the
basic right of freedom. The
act of caging animals for
human entertainment is
cruel and barbaric.
 A TIGER IN THE ZOO
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.

He should be lurking in shadow, He should be snarling around houses

Sliding through long grass At the jungle’s edge,
Near the water hole Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Where plump deer pass. Terrorising the village!

But he’s locked in a concrete cell,

His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.

He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
 STANZA WISE EXPLANATION
Stanza 1
Stanza 2
He stalks in his vivid stripes
He should be lurking in shadow,
The few steps of his cage,
Sliding through long grass
On pads of velvet quiet,
Near the water hole
In his quiet rage.
Where plump deer pass.
Stalks: follows
Lurking: hiding
Vivid: bright; colorful
Plump: chubby; fat
Pads of velvet: soft paws
Rage: anger
• This stanza describes the
ideal life of a free tiger in a
• This stanza describes the life of a
forest.
caged tiger.
• It talks of the tiger's act of
• It conveys the tiger's anger which he
looking for a prey while
bears with silence.
hiding in the tall grass.
• It reveals the true nature of
the tiger.
 STANZA WISE EXPLANATION
Stanza 3
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
Snarling: growling; producing a scary
sound
Fangs: pointed canines
Terrorising: scaring
• This stanza describes the tiger as a scary
animal who terrorizes and frightens
human beings.
• The poet describes how this tiger shows
his sharp teeth and claws to scare people.
• This image is in contrast with that of the
caged tiger presented in the previous
stanza.
Stanza 4
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
Concrete: cement
• This stanza describes the cement
cage where the tiger is locked
up.
• Unlike the tiger described in the
previous stanza, this tiger
ignores people and makes no
show of his strength.
• The tiger is jailed without
committing any crime.
 STANZA WISE EXPLANATION
Stanza 5

He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.

Patrolling : guarding an area by taking rounds

Brilliant: shiny

• This stanza again describes the caged tiger as a

helpless animal staring at the sky.
• This image is in contrast with the previous scary
image of a tiger.
• This stanza conveys a feeling of loneliness and
helplessness that the tiger must be going through.
POETIC
DEVICES

• Rhyme scheme
• Personification
• Metaphor
• Metonymy
• Assonance
• Alliteration
• Imagery
• Oxymoron
• Enjambment
Style

The poet keeps on shifting

between the cage and the natural
habitat of a tiger to draw a
comparison between the
behaviour of the tiger in these
separate settings.

Tone

The poet's tone is pessimistic

and sad.

Mood

The mood keeps shifting between

gloomy and terrifying.