Introduction
In the poem How to Tell Wild Animals, the poet describes the characters of wild animals funnily. The Poet has used humorous language. The poet has used rhyme as a literary device. This poem consists of the brute nature of wild animals.
Wild animals
Summary
The poem opens with a variety of animal descriptions. The poet warns readers in the first verse that they will likely come across a wide variety of wild creatures if they venture east. Several identifying features of the creatures are described by her. The poet claims that the reader would perish upon encountering a yellowish-brown beast whose roar is so deafening. Then you’re looking at an Asian lion.
After this, she depicts a kingly beast that lives in the forest and has yellow skin and black stripes. The animal will kill you and devour you if you encounter it, thus it must be a tiger. If you are travelling through the bush and an animal with yellow skin and black markings pounces on you, the poet claims that it is a leopard in the third line. She continues, “The leopard is quick, and yelling won’t help.” She goes on to say that you can tell it’s a bear if it hugs you closely as you’re strolling across your yard.
Hugging is a defining trait of the bear described. The poet makes light of the bear’s deadly grip. The poet suggests in the fifth verse that it might be hard to tell which animals are predators and which are prey. Hyenas and crocodiles are examples of creatures that prey on other species.
It’s easy to spot a hyena because they’re usually grinning, whereas crocodiles always wipe away tears. The poet describes a little creature in the final line of the poem. A chameleon is a little animal. A chameleon resembles a lizard but lacks the ears and wings of a true lizard. A chameleon’s capacity to adopt the hue of its surroundings is just one of its many tricks. If a person looks up at a tree and sees nothing, a chameleon may be hiding there.
Conclusion
The following poem is about the characteristics of wild animals and how one can identify them. The poet has used humour to identify the wild, dangerous animals. She has talked about the roar of lone, the killing ability of a tiger. The poet also talked about animals like leopards, Hyenas, crocodiles, bears and Chameleons. The poem is useful for people who are going through the jungle.
Textbook Question and Answers
1. Does ‘dyin’ rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?
Ans: The actual word is dying, which does not rhyme with a lion. It is written as ‘dyin’ in the poem to create a rhyme.
2. How does the poet suggest you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so, according to him?
Ans: The poet differentiates between the two in the following manner, she says that if the beast is yellow-brown and roars out so loud that you may die, then this is an Asian lion. Whereas, if the animal has black stripes on the yellow background of its skin and he attacks to kill you, it is a Bengal tiger.
3. Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
Ans: The words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ have not been spelt correctly. It is a poetic device used by the poet to emphasise the actions of the leopard.
4. Look at the line “A novice might be nonplus”. How would you write this ‘correctly’? Why is the poet’s ‘incorrect’ line better in the poem?
Ans: The correct sentence order is’ novice might be nonplussed. The poet wrote it to bring rhyme to her poem. Nonplus rhymes with thus.
5. Much of the humour in the poem arises from the way language is used, although the ideas are also funny. If there are particular lines in the poem that you especially like, share these with the class, speaking briefly about what it is about the ideas or the language that you like or find funny.
Ans: Yes, the poet has indeed used the language in a way that creates humour. The poet uses many funny lines. One such is ‘If he roars at you as you’re dyin’. You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…’ or the other one is ‘A noble wild beast greets you. So his idea of explaining the characteristics of wild animals is quite funny.
How to Tell Wild Animals Extra Questions and Answers
1. How the poet describes the Lion?
Ans: The Poet says that if anyone encounters an animal with yellowish-brown skin and its roar is so loud that it can kill a person. Then it is a Lion.
2. How can one identify a tiger?
Ans: According to the poet, if an animal has black stripes on its yellow skin, it can kill and eat a person. Then that animal is a Tiger.
3. What differences are between a Hyena and a Crocodile?
Ans: According to the poet, Hyenas are always laughing, and crocodiles are always weeping.