Poem 3 - A Tiger In The Zoo

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P3 – A Tiger In The Zoo

In the poem, “A Tiger in the Zoo”, the poet Leslie Norris, speaks about the titular character of the poem – the tiger that is inside a cage in the zoo. A tiger is said to be a beautiful and elegant creature by the author, worthy of its title as one of the deadliest predators in wildlife. The poet has made contrasting statements about why a tiger should be kept in a cage and why it should not be.

A Tiger in the Zoo NCERT solutions

Summary:

In the words of the poet Leslie Norris, the tiger that is locked in a cage has ‘vivid stripes’ on his body. The black stripes that are present in the shape of the tiger make a sharp contrast with the brightly coloured fur. The tiger also has ‘velvet’ paws that make no sound as he moves to and fro in his little cage. The poet has made the reference to ‘velvet’ for the paws of the tiger since they make no noise as they are as soft as velvet. The tiger has ‘rage’ or anger inside him as he is not free and is limited to the confines of his cage.

He stalks in his vivid stripes                 

The few steps of his cage,

On pads of velvet quiet,

In his quiet rage.

In the words of the poet, the tiger should be ‘lurking in the shadows’ among the “tall grasses” of the wild. The tiger is a free wild animal. To suffice its hunger, the tiger needs to hunt his prey – the ‘plump deer’. The tiger stealthily awaits near water bodies in the tall grasses, so that it can swiftly hunt a deer that comes near the water to quench its thirst.

He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!

In these lines, the tiger would have terrorised the villages near the edge of the jungle, using his sharp ‘white fangs’ and ‘claws’. This would have proven to be a threat to the residents of the villages. Therefore, the poet has said that it is somewhat necessary for the tiger to be inside cages in a zoo.

But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.

The tiger ignores the visitors of the zoo and stalks inside his little cage. The poet has said that the ferocity and the primal strength of the tiger are also hidden with him inside the ‘concrete’ cage, and is not revealed to the zoo visitors.

He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,

And stares with his brilliant eyes                       

At the brilliant stars.

The last noises of the night – the patrolling cars – are heard by him. He tiger looks up to the sky and the shining stars as he has got nothing to do inside the cage.

To know more about this poem, refer to A Tiger in the Zoo Class 10 NCERT Solutions.