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A Tiger in the Zoo Poem analysis line by line Explanation
A Tiger in the Zoo Poetic Devices
About the Poet Leslie Norris
George Leslie Norris (1921-2006) was a prize winning Welsh poet and short story writer. He is considered as most important Welsh writer of the post war period and his literary works have won many prizes. His famous works are Finding Gold, The loud winder, phoenix living poets series: Ransoms, etc.
| Poet Name | Leslie Norris |
| Born | 21 May 1921, Merthyr Tydfil, United Kingdom |
| Died | 6 April 2006, Provo, Utah, United States |
| Parents | George, Mary Jane Norris |
| Spouse | Catherine Morgan |
| Nationality | Welsh, British |
A Tiger in the Zoo Summary of the Lesson
The poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ has been composed by Leslie Norris.
In this poem, the poet contrasts a tiger in the zoo to those living in his natural habitat. The poet starts the description from the zoo to the jungle, and back again to the zoo. There is a great difference between the condition.
When he is in the jungle and when he is in the zoo in the natural surroundings he is very happy, but in the cage he is restless and furious.
The poet says that in the cage the tiger walks in full range over the pads of velvet. But when the tiger is in his natural place, he lurks in shadow.
He slips through the long grass near the source of water to catch the deer in the jungle, he terrorises the villagers with his bare teeth, but in the prison, he moves in rage.
FAQs on A Tiger in the Zoo Summary
Q1. Who is the poet of a tiger in the zoo?
Ans: Leslie Norris
Q2. What message does the poem a tiger in the zoo give us?
Ans: The message conveyed by the poem is that just like humans, animals too long for freedom and do not like being caged. For instance, the tiger in the poem longs to be in the jungle and he looks longingly at the shining stars in the sky. By looking at the stars, the tiger hope to be with nature some day
Q3. What are the poetic devices used in the poem a tiger in the zoo?
Ans: Poetic Devices in A Tiger in the Zoo
- Rhyme scheme
- Rhetorical devices
- Personification: This rhetorical device is used to bestow human qualities on something that is not human. …
- Metaphor: This rhetorical device is used when a covert comparison is made between two different things or ideas.
Q4. How does the poet contrast the tiger in the zoo with the tiger in the jungle?
Ans: This poem contrasts a tiger in the zoo in his cage with the tiger in its natural habitat. … The poet feels that the tiger should have been moving freely in the forest and hunting at his will. But now he is locked in a concrete cell behind the bars. At night he watches stars with his brilliant eyes and longs for freedom.