Page 1 - 1.A TIGER IN THE ZOO- LESSON NOTES

A TIGER IN THE ZOO

Explanation of stanza 1

The tiger moves up and down of his cage. The stripes on his body are
of strong bright colour. The tiger moves quietly on his velvet pads. He

is full of rage but is quiet. (because he knows that he is helpless here.)
Explanation of stanza 2

Looking at the imprisoned tiger, the poet is filled with pity. He says
that the poor tiger should have been in his natural habitat. Then at

this point of the night ,he would have been lying in the shadows of
trees and sliding quietly through the long grass. There, near the water
hole, he would be waiting for some fat deer to pass that way. Thus he

would be lying there in expectation of a heavy feast.

Explanation of stanza 3
Here the poet imagines what the tiger would be doing in case he
failed to find any prey in his natural habitat. He says that the tiger

would be growling at the edge of jungle near some village. He would

be showing his white fangs and claws while moving here and there.
He would thus become a cause of terror for the villagers. The
poetess here gives a hint that if we destroy the natural

habitat of tigers, they will be forced to turn to our towns
and villages to find their food.

Explanation of stanza 4
The poet sees the tiger logged in a concrete cell in the zoo. In spite of

all his strength, he now lies imprisoned behind the bars. Very slowly
and silently, he moves up and down along the length of the cage. He

takes no note of the visitors who come to the zoo to have a look at
him.

Explanation of stanza 5
The tiger knows no rest during the day because of the visitors. Even at

night he remains disturbed due to the noise of the patrolling cars. He
keeps staring at the brilliant stars with his brilliant eyes. Perhaps he

is asking heaven why he has been imprisoned there.