CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3- Summary of A Tiger in the Zoo 

CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo – Poem Summary & Notes: Here is Poem 3 from Class 10 English First Flight. A Tiger at the Zoo is a poem with a detailed summary and explanation, as well as the definitions of difficult words. The literary devices utilised and a summary of the poem are also included in the explanation. All of the exercises as well as the A Tiger in the Zoo Question Answers at the end of the lesson have been completed.

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CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo by Leslie Norris

About the Poet

George Leslie Norris was a prize-winning Welsh poet and short storey writer who lived from 1921 until 2006. He is regarded as one of the most influential postwar Welsh writers, and his literary works have garnered numerous awards. Finding Gold, The Loud Winder, the Phoenix Living Poets Series: Ransoms, and other works by him are well-known.

A Tiger in the Zoo Introduction

The misery and helplessness of a caged tiger living in a zoo are described in this poem by Leslie Norris. The poet describes what his life would have been like if he were a free animal. The poet attempted to illustrate the plight of animals who are trapped by humans for their own amusement.

Poem 3 Class 10 English Summary of A Tiger in the Zoo

CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo- The poem opens with a description of a gorgeous tiger strolling around in his small cage. He has velvety soft paws and gorgeous stripes on his skin. The tiger, on the other hand, is not pleased and is enraged at being trapped in the cage. If the tiger had not been confined to the zoo cage, the poet claims, he would have been hidden behind the long grass near a water source in order to catch its prey, the deer. He would also have terrorised the villagers in the surrounding villages.

However, the truth is rather different. He was imprisoned in a cage built of heavy construction materials, and he was helpless inside. He was unable to demonstrate his authority to the tourists, therefore he never attempted to intimidate them. The poet characterises the tiger as powerless and tormented. He claims that he is alone at night as well, hearing the voices of police patrolling cars and gazing at the stars.

The tiger’s personality has been completely transformed by his confinement. The poet is attempting to convey that the animal, which is known for its fearlessness and independence, is imprisoned and miserable as a result of human humans who seek pleasure from gazing at him in a zoo cage.

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A Tiger in the Zoo Poem

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.

Important Word Meanings from CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo

Here you can check the word meaning for CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo – Poem

The poet in ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ shows us how much all beings love freedom. It also shows us that the cruel nature of human beings makes them steal that freedom. Thus, the poem says that freedom is an instinct of all living creatures, and nobody should be able to take that away from them.

The poet shows the importance of freedom by highlighting specific keywords such as the brilliant eyes of the tiger, its velvet paws, or even the rage and helplessness it is feeling.

Brilliant Eyes

The tiger is all alone at night and gazes at the stars. Although it is helpless, it still hopes that one day, it would get out of the cage and return to its natural habitat. Similarly, each one of us faces problems or challenges in life. But we should always not lose hope and be in disparity.

Velvet Paws

Unlike other animals, the tiger is a symbol of strength and courage. But the tiger in the poem is in a cage. So, it has no freedom and no hope for the future. Due to this, the tiger has also lost its natural being. It has transformed from the fearless animal it used to be to a soft-natured one. Here, the term ‘velvet paws’ signifies all that the tiger has lost just because it is in a cage rather than in its natural habitat.

Quiet Rage

The cage is not the tiger’s natural place of dwelling. So, it is feeling immense rage. However, it is not able to show that anger as it is helpless. The tiger knows that it won’t be getting out anytime soon. So, it is trying hard to control its rage. And even though it is angry, it must remain quiet, for there is nothing it can do about it.

So, the poem shows how powerful beings control the weak and helpless. Human beings can speak and think. However, the same is not the case with animals. But just because someone is more powerful than others, it doesn’t mean that they can control them. Likewise, just because human beings are more powerful than animals, it does not give us the right to control their lives.

CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo Question Answers

Q1- Read the poem again, and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks.

(i) Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.

(ii) Find the words that describe the two places, and arrange them in two columns.

Now try to share ideas about how the poet uses words and images to contrast the two situations.

A1- (1)

In the cage	In the wild
Stalks, quiet rage, ignoring visitors, hears the sound of patrolling cars, stares at stars	Lurking in shadow, sliding through the long grass, snarling around houses, baring his white fangs, terrorizing the village

(2)

CAGE	WILD
Few steps of his cage	Shadow, long grass
Locked in concrete cell	Snarling around houses
His Strength behind bars	Baring his white fangs, his claws
Terrorising the village	Ignoring visitors

Q2- Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as these:

(i) On pads of velvet quiet, In his quiet rage.

(ii) And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.

What do you think is the effect of this repetition?

A2- The poet has used repetition to enhance the impact of his poetry. The tiger must walk inside the confines of his cage, as described by the usage of quiet with velvet pads. He is unable to flee like he would have done if he were in the woods. ‘Quiet rage,’ on the other hand, depicts his buried anger, which has grown stronger as a result of his captivity in the cage. The following word he used was ‘brilliant.’ The adjective brilliant in the first sentence refers to the sparkling bright stars, and the brilliant words used for the tiger’s eyes depict the tiger’s melancholy, since it would have enjoyed a free and brave life if it were in the jungle.

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