A case against using wild animals as a source of entertainment.

1. Tiger in a Zoo -
by Leslie Norris
Presented by Shivani singh

2.  Have you seen
animals in a zoo?
 How do they look?
 Happy?.... Sad???
 Do you think its their
natural habitat?
 Is it correct to keep
them caged for our
own amusement and
fun?
 Why / why not??

3.  Animals belong to the wild
 Its is cruel to keep them
confined in jungles.
 Animals are unhappy,
helpless and angry when kept
within a cage.

5. Theme/ Central idea
 The poem speaks about a tiger, who is a powerful and proud animal
 The poet highlights the condition of animals who live in zoos.
 The tiger is confined in a cage. He is unhappy, angry and ignores the
visitors.
• The poet imagines what it would be like for the tiger to be in the jungle.
• He should be hiding among the tall grass by a water body hunting deer on
his own and scaring the villagers.
• However, his present situation is pathetic and he is forced to remain in a
small cage looking at the sky .
• The poet wants to highlight the fact that a tiger values his freedom and he
deserves to be let free in his natural habitat.
• Human progress should not be at the cost of destroying natural habitats
of wild animals like a tiger.

6. 1. He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
vivid= clear, bright
Rage= anger
Paraphrasing: The tiger in the zoo walks in the limited space of the cage. It
takes a few steps. There are stripes on his body which are very clear and
bright. Its paws are soft like velvet. No noise is produced when he walks. The
tiger is silent but angry.

7. 2. He should be lurking in shadow.
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass
Lurking= hidden in order to attack
Sliding= moving very slowly
Water hole= a depression in which water collects
Plump= fat
The poet says that the cage is not the proper place for the tiger. It is not
its natural habitat. The tiger in the cage is a victim of human cruelty. He
should be ideally be seen sitting hiding under some tall grass near a
water body. He should be waiting for a fat deer to hunt down.

8. 3. He should be snarling around houses
At the jungles’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
Snarling= making an aggressing growl… in anger
Edge= side
Fangs= teeth
Terrorising= scaring
The poet proceeds further suggesting that the tiger should
be sitting at the jungle’s edge in close vicinity of a village. It
should be scaring the villagers by showing his sharp white
teeth and deadly claws.

9. 4. But he’s locked in a concrete cell
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
Concrete= a mixture made with cement, and , grave and water
stalking-= walking in proud and angry manner
Ignoring= not paying attention to
Paraphrasing: The poet expresses his deep sympathy at the plight of the
tiger. It is imprisoned in a cell made of concrete. This is quite the opposite
of being free in his natural habitat. A tiger is a powerful animal but sadly
his power is locked inside the concrete cell. The tiger is pacing slowly inside
the cage. He is not interested in the visitors who have come to watch him
as a means of entertainment.

10. 5. He hears the last voices at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
Patrolling= moving about to check for any danger
Stares= look hard at something
Brilliant= bright
The poet tells us what the tiger does during the night. He is lonely and
angry at night too. He hears the patrolling cars of the zoo authorities. He
again shows no interest in them and stares at the shining stars with his
brilliant eyes. This suggests that the tiger is hopeful of getting his
freedom back.

11. Poetic Devices
1. Personification: The tiger has been bestowed with human qualities.
He refers to it as ‘he’
2. Alliteration: ‘The stalks with his vivid stripes’
3. Repetition: brilliant… brilliant.
quiet… quiet.
4. Onomatopoeia: ‘snarling’

12. Thankyou!