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A TIGER IN THE ZOO
Leslie Norris
SHILPA SHARMA
About the Poet:
Leslie Norris
George Leslie Norris (21 May 1921 – 6 April 2006), was a prize-winning Welsh poet and short story writer.
He has won many prizes for his literary works.
Introduction
About the Poem
- This poem contrasts a tiger in the zoo with the tiger in its natural habitat.
- The poem moves from the zoo to the jungle, and back again to the zoo.
A Tiger in the Zoo
Explanation of the Poem
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,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
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.
Explanation
Stanza 1
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
- Stalks: follows
- Vivid: bright; colorful
- Pads of velvet: soft paws
- Rage: anger
- This stanza describes the life of a caged tiger.
- It conveys the tiger's anger which he bears with silence.
Stanza 2
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
- Lurking: hiding
- Plump: chubby; fat
- This stanza describes the ideal life of a free tiger in a forest.
- It talks of the tiger's act of looking for a prey while hiding in the tall grass.
- It reveals the true nature of the tiger.
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 terrorises 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 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.
Literary Analysis
Rhyme Scheme
a
b
c
b
a
b
c
b
a
b
Rhyme
Scheme
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,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
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.
c
b
a
b
c
b
a
b
c
b
Poetic
Devices
JUXTAPOSITION
The caged tiger in the zoo
The free tiger in the forest.
Caged
CONTRAST
Quiet and Snarling/Terrorizing
Stalking and Lurking/Sliding
PERSONIFICATION
He (Stanza 1), Rage (Stanza 1) and Ignoring (Stanza 4)
Free
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,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
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.
METAPHOR
Pads of velvet
REPETITION
Quiet (Stanza 1) Stalk (Stanza 1 and 5)
ENJAMBMENT
(Stanza 2, Lines 3 and 4)
(Stanza 3, Lines 1 and 2)
Caged
IMAGERY
Snarling, Lurking, Sliding
Major Themes
- Agony and helplessness
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.
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.