🐅 Class 10 English Poem 3 – A Tiger in the Zoo Notes
Book: First Flight
Poem: A Tiger in the Zoo
Poet: Leslie Norris
Chapter: 3
Board: CBSE Class 10 (2025)
✍️ Introduction
“A Tiger in the Zoo” by Leslie Norris is a powerful poem that contrasts the image of a tiger in captivity with its natural life in the wild. The poem highlights the cruelty of keeping wild animals in cages and emphasizes the loss of freedom, strength, and dignity.
📖 Summary of the Poem
The poem describes a tiger confined in a zoo cage. The poet shows how the tiger’s movements are limited, and it walks silently within the narrow cage, full of suppressed rage. His majestic strength is wasted behind bars.
The poet imagines what the tiger would be like in its natural habitat — moving through tall grass, hunting deer, and roaring near waterholes. In contrast, in the zoo, the tiger only walks restlessly inside the cage and ignores visitors who stare at him.
At night, he hears the sound of patrolling cars and stares at the stars with sadness. The poem presents a strong contrast between the wild, free tiger and the miserable, caged animal in the zoo, evoking sympathy and raising questions about animal rights and captivity.
🌟 Central Idea
The central idea of the poem is the conflict between freedom and captivity. It reflects how animals like tigers, who belong in the wild, suffer mentally and emotionally when kept in cages for human amusement.
🎨 Poetic Devices Used
- Contrast: Between tiger in the zoo and tiger in the wild
- Imagery: Visual description of tiger’s movement and environment
- Enjambment: Lines continue without punctuation
- Personification: Tiger expresses emotions like anger, sadness
- Alliteration: “He stalks in his vivid stripes” – repetition of 's'
📚 Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Stalks | Moves silently and carefully |
| Vivid | Bright and clear |
| Rage | Anger |
| Plump | Fat or well-fed |
| Bare | Empty or without cover |
❓ Important Questions and Answers
- Q1. How is the tiger’s life in the zoo different from its life in the forest?
Ans: In the forest, the tiger is free, hunts, and roams at will. In the zoo, it is confined, restless, and helpless. - Q2. What is the poet’s message in this poem?
Ans: The poet condemns animal captivity and emphasizes the need for freedom and natural living conditions for wild animals. - Q3. What do the tiger’s eyes reflect in the last stanza?
Ans: His eyes reflect sadness and helplessness as he stares at the stars, longing for freedom. - Q4. What poetic device is used in the line “He stalks in his vivid stripes”?
Ans: The poetic device is alliteration – repetition of the 's' sound.
📥 Download PDF Notes
👉 Click here to download PDF of A Tiger in the Zoo Poem Notes
📌 Tags: Class 10 English Poem 3, A Tiger in the Zoo Summary, Leslie Norris Poem, First Flight Notes, CBSE 2025, ToppersNoteHub
Posted by ToppersNoteHub Team
No comments:
Post a Comment