A Tiger in the Zoo
By– Leslie Norris
Value Points of the Poem
- The tiger is not in his natural habitat.
- The wilds of the jungle are the natural habitat of the tiger.
- Unfortunately, the denizen of the forest has been confined to a caged habitat in a zoo.
- He is no more free to roam about in the forest but walks within the length and breadth of his cage.
- He has dark spots on his skin which are clearly visible even from a distance.
- Condemned to live in his cage, he walks around quietly with his velvety soft feet.
- He is angry but has to suppress it.
- In his quiet rage, he continues walking up and down his caged habitat.
- The poet imagines how the tiger should behave if he is in his natural habitat — the wild jungle.
- There, he should be silently hiding in the shadow remains unnoticed.
- Sliding through the long grass he should move stealthily to ambush his prey.
- He knows where he can find his kill in the wild.
- His favourite hunt is the plump deer which he can find near the water-hole.
- Sometimes, he comes out of the forest and strays in the human settlement at the edge of the jungle.
- There he terrorises the villagers by opening out his white fangs or the long teeth and the claws.
- His ferocious looks frighten the villagers.
- However, he has no intention of entering the village and killing anybody until he is highly provoked.
- Unfortunately, the mighty tiger is cursed to live in a concrete cell in the zoo.
- Many visitors come to see him in the zoo but he doesn’t like the stares of the visitors.
- He simply ignores their presence.
- Now, he is made to limit his movements only to the length and breadth of his caged habitat.
- The tiger keeps awake till late in the night.
- He hears the noise of the patrolling cars moving around in the zoo.
- The brilliant stars shine in the sky and his brilliant eyes shine in the night.
- He can’t free himself but he keeps on watching the brilliant stars standing behind the bars of his caged habitat.
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