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Tiger
Leslie Norris
About Leslie Norris
Leslie Norris (1921-2006) was born in England. He began to write poetry as a teenager. He joined the Royal Air Force and fought for his country in World War II. After the war, he chose teaching as a profession and became a headmaster first, and then a college lecture, working in both the UK and USA in 1974, he left his job and started writing full time. He won several prestigious awards for his poems and short stories.
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of this 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,
Terrorizing 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 states with his brilliant eyes,
At the brilliant stars.
Available Answers
- 1.
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of this cage
On pads of velvet quiet
In his quiet rage.- What are the 'vivid stripes' the poet is referring to?
- What are the tiger's actions in the cage? Contrast the movement of the tiger in the cage with those of a tiger in a jungle.
- What do you think the poet means by 'quiet rage'?
- 2.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle's edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorizing the village!- What is the meaning of the term 'snarling around houses'?
- According to the poet, why should the tiger be 'terrorizing the village'?
- Which verse in the poem contrasts most sharply with this one? List the points of contrast.
- 3.
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes,
At the brilliant stars.- Which was the last voice that the tiger heard? What do you think he should have heard instead?
- Why do you think the tiger stared at the stars?
- Why does the poet refer to both the tiger's eyes as well as the stars as 'brilliant'?
- 4.
The poem shifts trom the zoo to the jungle and back to the zoo again. Number the stanzas. Which stanzas refer to the zoo and which ones refer to the jungle?
- 5.
According to the poet, in which habitat should the tiger be living? List the descriptive details that the poet gives us of this habitat. How far do you agree with the poet on this point?
Comments
Please tell answer s for this lesson
23 Mar 2021Ashly J.