About the Author
Leslie Norris was a nice poet from Wales, a green land in the UK. He lived from 1921 to 2006 and loved writing about animals, nature, and quiet thoughts. As a boy, he played in fields and watched birds and bugs, which sparked his poems. He taught kids in schools and shared his words in books. Norris wrote simple lines that feel like a walk in the woods—easy to read but make you feel deep inside. "A Tiger in the Zoo" is one of his fun pieces from 1987. He wanted poems to be friends to young hearts, not hard puzzles.
What’s the Story About?
This is a short poem, like a picture in words, not a tale with a start and end. It shows a big tiger stuck in a zoo cage, and dreams what he'd do if free in the wild. Picture a strong tiger with stripes like orange fire, pacing back and forth on soft paws.
First, the poet paints the sad zoo life. The tiger walks quietly in his small pen, ignoring the stars twinkling high up. He hears the pat-pat of his feet on the floor and feels the bars like jail walls. At night, kids come close to the cage, their eyes wide, but the tiger just growls low and stares angry. He wants to scare them off, like "Go away!" without words. Oh, if only he could break free and hide in tall grass!
Then, the poem jumps to a happy dream. In the wild jungle, the tiger sneaks low through green bushes, his white belly almost touching the earth. He waits still as a statue for a fat deer to come drink at the water hole. One pounce, and it's dinner time—fresh and yummy. No more boring cage; he'd rule the night with his roar shaking the hills. Birds would fly scared, and the whole forest would know he's king.
The poet ends with a sigh: But no, the tiger stays locked up, padding sad in his spot. It's like a whisper: Freedom is sweet, but lost for this cat. Read it slow, like whispering to a pet, and you'll hear the tiger's lonely heart. Kids, it makes you hug your dog a bit tighter and think about open fields.
Who’s Who in the Story
The poem has no talking people, just one main animal and a voice watching. Here's the simple bunch:
- The Tiger: The star of the show—a mighty, striped cat with sad eyes. He's strong but trapped, dreaming of hunts and runs.
- The Poet (Voice): Like a kind storyteller, maybe Leslie himself. He watches and wonders, sharing the tiger's wishes with us.
- Visitors (Kids): Little ones at the zoo bars, peeking in. They're excited, but the tiger sees them as pests.
- Jungle Animals (Deer): Not named, but the tasty deer the tiger chases in his dream—quick and yummy.
Just a handful, like friends in a backyard game.
Themes and Moral
The poem hides big feelings in easy lines, like treasures in a sandbox. Here's what it shares:
- Freedom vs. Trap: Zoo life is safe but dull, like playing in a box. Wild is scary but fun—running free beats pacing sad.
- Nature's Call: Animals like tigers need grass and hunts, not concrete floors. It tugs your heart for what's natural.
- Dreams in Sad Times: Even locked up, the tiger imagines better days. Shows hope is a quiet friend.
The main moral is warm and true: Let wild things be wild. Cages steal joy, but open spaces give wings—or paws. Be kind to animals; give them room to roar. It's a nudge: Chase your own freedoms too, like playing tag without walls.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
These words pop from the poem, picked to spark your eyes. I've told them like sharing toys—super plain:
- Pacing: Walking back and forth, like a bored puppy in a yard.
- Stalks: Sneaking slow to catch something, like hiding for a surprise jump.
- Ignorant: Not knowing or caring, like missing a fun game outside.
- Growl: A low, rumbly sound from the throat, like a dog saying "Back off!"
- Lurking: Hiding quiet and still, waiting for the right moment, like behind a door.
- Plump: Fat and juicy, like a ripe mango ready to eat.
- Baring Teeth: Showing sharp chompers, like a grin that's not friendly.
- Concrete Cell (phrase): A hard, gray box like jail, cold and no fun.
- Long Grass (phrase): Tall green plants hiding you, like a secret fort.
- Terrorizes the Grass (phrase): Scares the plants as he runs, like a windy storm.
Chant them with the poem—they bounce like ball games!