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.
In the Cage: stalks, few steps, stalking, ignoring visitors, hears, stares. In the Wild: lurking in shadow, sliding through long grass, snarling, baring his white fangs, terrorising the village.
In the Cage: cage, concrete cell, bars. In the Wild: shadow, long grass, water hole, jungle's edge, village.
Explanation
The question requires extracting specific vocabulary from the poem 'A Tiger in the Zoo' to contrast the tiger's behaviour and habitats in captivity versus the wild. For movements/actions, the cage restricts the tiger to 'stalks', 'few steps', and 'stares', while the wild allows 'lurking', 'sliding', 'snarling', and 'terrorising'. For places, the 'concrete cell' and 'bars' sharply oppose the 'long grass', 'water hole', and 'jungle's edge'. The poet uses this stark diction to evoke sympathy for the caged tiger, contrasting his majestic, terrifying natural state with his frustrated, powerless reality in the zoo.