Scribd
Upload
22 views

How to Tell Wild Animals

Uploaded by

Pranay Jain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
22 views

How to Tell Wild Animals

Uploaded by

Pranay Jain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

How to Tell Wild Animals

Central Idea of the Poem

The poet, Carolyn Wells, treats even ferocious animals and beasts with a coat
of gentle but weird humour. If you see a huge terrible beast coming to you in
the eastern forests and if you are dying when he roars, then know it is an Asian
Lion. The humour is created by various beasts of prey differently. The Bengal
tiger is noble but ‘eats you’ the moment he notices you. The leopard with
peppered spots will only ‘lep and lep again’. The seemingly friendly hug leads
to fatal results. The crocodile’s weeping and hyena’s merry but weird smile
deceive their victims.

Poetic Devices
i. Enjambment - It is the continuation of a sentence to the next line without a break
1.(And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast).
2. (If when you're walking round your yard
You meet a creature there)
3. (Though to distinguish beasts of prey
A novice might nonplus)
ii. Alliteration - It is the repetition of a letter at the start of closely placed words -
repetition of letter ‘r’ in
roaming round.
If when you're walking round your yard
A novice might nonplus,
iii. Assonance - Prominent sound of the vowel o –
Or if some time when roaming round.
Twill do no good to roar with pain, -
Prominent sound of the vowel e –
You meet a creature there.
iv. Personification - The poet has used he instead of it for the animal.
v. Poetic License - The spelling of a word has been changed to create a rhythm in
the poem –
lept instead of leapt is written.
vi. Repetition - The word lep has been repeated .
vii. Consonance - Prominent sound of the consonant l –
Hell only lep and lep again.
ASSIGNMENT
Reference to the context.
1. Or if some time when roaming round,
A noble wild beast greets you,
With black stripes on a yellow ground,
Just notice if he eats you.
This simple rule may help you learn The Bengal Tiger to discern.
If strolling forth, a beast you view,
Whose hide with spots is peppered,
As soon as he has lept on you, You’ll know it is the Leopard.
’Twill do no good to roar with pain, He’ll only lep and lep again.

(i) Complete the sentence appropriately.


The word 'discern' in line 6 of the extract means the same as __________.
(Clue: explain contextual meaning here) 1

(ii) Identify the option that explains the poetic device used.
With black stripes on a yellow ground...
...Whose hide with spots is peppered
A. a word formed from a sound
B. a word or phrase repeated at intervals
C. a word or expression used in place of an unpleasant one
D. a word or phrase that creates a mental image through vivid description

(iii) State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE:


The extract tells us the similarities between tigers and leopards.
iv Select the appropriate option to complete the sentence.
The tone of the poet when telling how to identify a wild animal is both scary
and __________.
A. funny B. exciting C. shocking D. sorrowful

v. Identify the option that has the same rhyme scheme as these 4 lines.

Or if some time when roaming round,


A noble wild beast greets you,
With black stripes on a yellow ground,
Just notice if he eats you.

A. The sky is very sunny.


The children are funny.
Under the tree we sit,
But just for a bit.

B. I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,


some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.
—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

C. The people along the sand


All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the land.
They look at the sea all day.

D. Others abide our question. Thou art free.


We ask and ask—Thou smilest and art still,
Out-topping knowledge. For the loftiest hill,
Who to the stars uncrowns his majesty,
Answer the following questions 40-50 words.
1. “If he roars at you as you’re dyin’/You’ll know it is the Asian Lion……”
Comment on the irony of the quote from the poem “How To Tell Wild Animals.”
2. How does the poet distinguish the hyena from crocodile?
3. What does the poet tell us about a Chameleon?
4. “All knowledge is useful. But not all knowledge is worth the cost.” Elaborate
on the quote in the context of the poem “How to Tell Wild Animals”.

You might also like