The poem describes a jaguar in a zoo that appears lazy but is coiled and ready to attack. It stalks the enclosure with mesmerizing grace and power, enraging any other animals watching, while also holding a visionary quality that hints at its wild origins.

1. The Jaguar
Ted Hughes

2. Vocabulary
Shriek – a short, loud cry.
Fatigued – extreme tiredness.
Indolence –lazy
boa-constrictor – snake
mesmerized – focusing all your attention on
something.
Enraged- to become very angry.
Visionary – having the ability to imagine the
future.

3. Which animal do
you look
forward to
seeing the most
at a zoo?

4. The other animals

5. Snake vs. fossil
“The boa-constrictor’s coil is a
fossil”

6. The Jaguar