Introduction
CBSE NCERT Notes for Class 10 English (Poem) Chapter 3 – A Tiger in the Zoo
Chapter 3 of the CBSE Class 10 English First Flight book has one poetry. Leslie Norris wrote the poem “A Tiger in the Zoo.” We have explained the CBSE Class 10 English Poem Tiger at the Zoo in this section. Along with the explanation, a synopsis of the poem is included in the form of CBSE Notes to assist students in grasping the poem’s context. For test preparation and rapid review, students may refer to the CBSE Class 10 English First Flight A Tiger in the Zoo Poem Summary and Notes.
CBSE Class 10 English notes will assist students in studying the topic thoroughly and clearly.
These CBSE Class 10 English notes were written by subject experts who made the study material very basic, both in terms of language and format.
STANZA 1
She stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
EXPLANATION
The poet is describing a caged tiger in these lines.
Inside the cage, the tiger with bright and clear stripes moves. The cage is so small that the tiger can barely move along its length.
Because his pads are as soft as velvet, no one can hear his footsteps. Despite being the most powerful creature, he is caged. The tiger is enraged by this situation.
However, he is remaining silent because he is aware of his helplessness in the situation.
STANZA 2
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
EXPLANATION
The poet expresses sorrow for the caged tiger in these lines. He believes that tigers should be allowed to roam freely in their natural habitat.
He should be concealed in the shadows and making his way through the long grass near the water hole quietly.
He should be waiting for fat and healthy deer to pass in the hope of nabbing a substantial meal. The poet wishes to convey that a tiger’s natural habitat is a jungle, not a cage.
STANZA 3
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
EXPLANATION
The poet explains what a tiger in its natural habitat should be doing in these lines.
According to him, a wild tiger should be roaring around the jungle’s edge houses.
He should display his razor-sharp white teeth and claws in order to terrorise the villagers.
STANZA 4
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
EXPLANATION
The poet’s attention is drawn back to the caged angry tiger in these lines. Unlike the tiger in the jungle, the poet explains, this tiger is not free. He is imprisoned in a concrete cell.
His strength and might are rendered ineffective behind the cage’s bars. He is moving around in his cage, oblivious to the visitors who are constantly stopping by to take a look at him.
STANZA 5
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
EXPLANATION
The poet states in these lines that the tiger is disturbed even at night. He hears the final sound of the zoo officials’ patrolling cars. The tiger’s brilliant eyes, which eager for freedom, are fixed on the brilliant stars shining brightly in the sky.
Central Idea of the Poem
The poet attempts to depict the plight of a caged tiger in this poem, ‘A Tiger in the Zoo.’
He contrasts and compares the life of a caged tiger to the life of a tiger in its natural habitat, a jungle.
The poet is attempting to convey through the poem that wild animals should be permitted to live freely in their natural habitat. All living things, not just humans, value freedom.