Poem: A Tiger in the Zoo
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
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Explanation and Central Idea of the Poem
The poem 'A TIGER IN THE ZOO' is written by the Welsh poet, Leslie Norris. The poem is based on two main ideas - freedom and confinement. The poem presents a contrast between two situations of a tiger - when the tiger is caged in the zoo and when the tiger is in his nature habitat.
The poem conveys a message that the environment in which a person or an animal lives affects the behaviour of that person or animal.
The poem describes the helplessness and frustration of the tiger when he is kept in a confined environment, away from his natural habitat.
In the first stanza of the poem, the poet describes the situation of the tiger caged in the zoo. The poet says that the tiger can walk only few steps in the cage. He has bright and clear stripes on his body. He walks quietly in the cage on his pads (paws) which are as soft as velvet. He is full of anger but quiet because of his helplessness. The words 'quiet rage' have contradictory meanings. These words emphasize the intensity of the tiger's anger and his helpless silence.
The tone of the poet in the poem is full of regret and sympathy. The poet is sympathetic to the tiger as he feels that the tiger should have been in his natural habitat i.e. jungle. It is cruel to keep the tiger in a confined environment.
In the second stanza, the poet imagines that if the tiger had been in the dark jungle, he would have been hiding in the shadow of the trees and moving through the long grass. He would be hiding near the water hole and waiting for some fat deer so that he could hunt it.
In the third stanza, the poet imagines the tiger at the edge of the jungle, growling and moving around the houses in the village. The poet imagines that the tiger would be showing his long and sharp white teeth (fangs) and his sharp claws to scare the villagers.
The third stanza of the poem tells us about the impact of deforestation. This stanza conveys a message that if continue to destroy the forests, the tigers or other wild animals will be compelled to move towards our towns and cities in search of their food.
In the fourth stanza, the poet sees the tiger locked in a cell made of concrete. In spite of all the power that the tiger has, he can't come out of the cage. His strength is locked behind the bars. The tiger is moving slowly and quietly along the length of the cage. He completely ignores the visitors who came there to visit him. The tiger is ignoring the visitors because he is not at all interested in the confined environment. His freedom is more important to him than the entertainment of the visitors.
In the fifth stanza of the poem, the poet again imagines the tiger in the cage. He looks helpless and restless. He can't sleep even at night as the noise of the patrolling cars disturbs him. He keeps looking at the stars shining in the sky with his brilliant (shining) eyes. The words 'brilliant eyes' indicate that the tiger has a desire for freedom. The tiger is optimistic that someday he will also be free like those shining stars.
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