How to tell Wild Animals
Thinking About the Poem
1. Does ‘dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?
Answer:
No, “dying” does not normally rhyme with “lion”. However, the poet writes “dyin’” instead of “dying” and drops the final “g” sound. When “dyin’” is pronounced in this way, it sounds like “lion” and creates a rhyme. The poet does this to maintain the rhythm and humorous effect of the poem.
2. How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so, according to him?
Answer:
The poet says that if you are walking in the jungles of the East and see a large, tawny-coloured beast that roars loudly, it is an Asian Lion. If you meet a noble wild animal with black stripes on a yellow coat and it eats you, it is a Bengal Tiger. The poet humorously suggests that you will identify these animals when you encounter them in the jungle.
3. Do you think the words ‘lep’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
Answer:
No, “lep” is not the correct spelling. The correct forms are “leap” or “leapt”. The poet deliberately uses the incorrect form “lep” to rhyme with “leopard” and to maintain the rhythm and humorous effect of the poem.
4. Do you know what a ‘bearhug’ is? Are there similar expressions about wild animals in your own language?
Answer:
A “bearhug” means a very tight and strong hug. In the poem, it humorously refers to the way a bear might tightly embrace a person while attacking him. There are also expressions related to animals in different languages. For example, “crocodile tears” means false or insincere tears. Such expressions use the imagined or commonly known characteristics of animals.
5. Look at the line “A novice might nonplus.” How would you write this correctly? Why is the poet’s ‘incorrect’ line better?
Answer:
The grammatically correct form would be “A novice might be nonplussed.” The poet uses “nonplus” incorrectly to maintain the rhyme and rhythm of the poem. The shorter form fits the humorous style and makes the poem more musical.
6. Can you find other examples of poets taking liberties with language, either in English or in your language(s)?
Answer:
Yes. Poets sometimes take liberties with language by shortening words, changing spellings or using unusual forms to maintain rhyme and rhythm. For example, in poetry, “pressed” may sometimes be written as “prest” to fit the rhyme or metre. Such changes are called poetic licence. Similar changes can also be found in Assamese poetry when poets use shortened or colloquial forms to maintain rhythm.
7. Much of the humour in the poem arises from the way language is used. Which lines do you find particularly funny?
Answer:
The poem is humorous because the poet describes dangerous wild animals in a casual and playful manner. Lines such as “Just notice if he eats you” and “He’ll give you just one more caress” are particularly funny. The poet uses polite words like “greets” and “caress” for dangerous attacks, which creates humour.
Short Answer Type Questions
8. How does the poet describe the wild animals?
Answer:
The poet describes wild animals as dangerous creatures but presents them in a humorous and playful way. She explains how to recognise different animals such as the lion, tiger, leopard, bear, hyena and crocodile through their appearance and behaviour.
9. How does the poet describe the Bengal Tiger?
Answer:
The poet describes the Bengal Tiger as a noble wild beast with black stripes on a yellow coat. She humorously says that if such an animal greets you and eats you, you can be sure that it is a Bengal Tiger.
10. Why do bears hug tightly?
Answer:
In the poem, the bear hugs a person tightly as part of its attack. The poet humorously calls this a “bearhug” or “caress”, suggesting that the bear’s tight embrace can be dangerous.
MCQs
A. Based on the stanza about the Bengal Tiger
1. What does “roaming” mean?
(i) Sitting
(ii) Standing
(iii) Sleeping
(iv) Wandering
Answer: (iv) Wandering
2. What does “wild beast” mean?
(i) A lion
(ii) A polite animal
(iii) A wild and savage animal
(iv) A leopard
Answer: (iii) A wild and savage animal
3. “Just notice if he eats you.” Who does “he” refer to?
(i) Lion
(ii) Bear
(iii) Bengal Tiger
(iv) Deer
Answer: (iii) Bengal Tiger
B. Based on the stanza about the Bear
4. Who is the poet of How to Tell Wild Animals?
(i) Robert Frost
(ii) James
(iii) Carolyn Wells
(iv) William Wordsworth
Answer: (iii) Carolyn Wells
5. Who hugs you very hard?
(i) Deer
(ii) Rabbit
(iii) Bear
(iv) Elephant
Answer: (iii) Bear
6. Whom does the poet address in the poem?
(i) The animals
(ii) The birds
(iii) The listener/reader
(iv) The hunter
Answer: (iii) The listener/reader
7. How does a bear hug you?
(i) Nicely
(ii) Politely
(iii) Very tightly
(iv) Softly
Answer: (iii) Very tightly
Human Generate Question Answer
Thinking about the Poem
1. Does ‘dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?
Ans: No, in standard English, “dying” does not rhyme with “lion.” However, the poet uses Poetic License to change the spelling of “dying” to “dyin’.” If we drop the ‘g’ sound and pronounce it as die-in, it creates a forced rhyme with “lion.” This adds to the humorous and lighthearted tone of the poem.
2. How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so, according to him?
Ans: The poet provides distinct physical and behavioral traits for both:
The Asian Lion: A large, “tawny” (brownish-yellow) beast that roars so loudly that you feel like you are dying of fear.
The Bengal Tiger: A “noble” beast with black stripes on a yellow background. Unlike the lion, the tiger is a silent stalker who “greets” you only to eat you.
According to the poet, you identify them while “strolling” or “roaming” in the jungles of the East, usually at the very moment they are about to attack you.
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: No, the words are not spelt correctly. The correct spellings are “leapt” and “leap.” The poet deliberately misspells them to create a visual and phonetic link with the word “Leopard.” This play on words (pun) emphasizes the animal’s characteristic action of leaping repeatedly, while also maintaining the poem’s rhythm.
4. Do you know what a ‘bearhug’ is? Are there similar expressions about wild animals in your own language?
Ans: A “bearhug” is traditionally a tight, strong embrace. While in human terms it is friendly, in the animal kingdom, a bear hugs its prey to crush it to death.
Hyenas and Crocodiles: Hyenas are said to “laugh” because of the high-pitched sound they make, and “crocodile tears” refers to a false show of sorrow.
Assamese Expressions: As you mentioned, in Assamese we have expressions like “Ghoriyalor sokupani” (Crocodile tears/hypocrisy) and “Hatir dore khuj” (To have a gait or presence like an elephant), which show how animals influence our daily language.
5. Look at the line “A novice might nonplus.” How would you write this ‘correctly’? Why is the poet’s ‘incorrect’ line better?
Ans: The grammatically correct version would be “A novice might be nonplussed” (meaning confused). However, the poet’s version is better because “nonplus” rhymes perfectly with “thus” in the following line. Using the correct grammatical form would break the rhyme scheme and the musical flow of the stanza.
6. Can you find other examples of poets taking liberties with language (Poetic License)?
Ans: Yes, poets often shorten words or change spellings to fit a meter. For example, in Joyce Kilmer’s poem Trees, the word “prest” is used instead of “pressed” to rhyme with “breast.” > “A tree whose hungry mouth is prest / Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast.”
In Assamese poetry as well, poets often use “Apabhramsa” or colloquial forms of words to ensure the Chanda (rhythm) remains intact.
7. Much of the humour in the poem arises from the way language is used. Which lines do you find particularly funny?
Ans: The humor lies in the contrast between the danger of the animals and the casual language used to describe them.
Favorite Line: “A noble wild beast greets you.” The idea of a predator “greeting” its prey like a polite host is hilarious.
Another Example: “He’ll only lep and lep again.” The repetitive use of the made-up word ‘lep’ creates a comical mental image of a leopard bouncing around, which softens the scary reality of a predator’s attack.
এই Post টো Update কৰাত সহায় কৰিব বিচাৰে নেকি?
ইয়াত কিবা ভুল, অসম্পূৰ্ণ তথ্য বা নতুন তথ্য থাকিলে আপুনি এটা উন্নত version প্ৰস্তুত কৰিব পাৰে। Live Post তৎক্ষণাৎ সলনি নহ'ব।
Update This Post