The Tiger and the Deer
– Sri Aurobindo
EXERCISE Question and Answers FY B.COM sppu Orient Blackswan
The Tiger and the deer FYBCOM
COMPREHENSION
I. Read the following lines and answer the following questions given below.
Till suddenly death leaped on the beautiful wild deeras it drank
unsuspecting from the great pool in the forest’s coolness and shadows
And it fell and, torn, and, a quivering the hide left gate in the deep woodland,
Destroyed, the wild harmless beauty by the strong cruel beauty in nature
a. What phrase suggests the unexpectedness of the attack?
ANS – The phrase “Unsuspecting from the great pool in the forest’s coolness and shadow” suggests the unexpectedness of the attack.
b. How does the poem portray the deer’s situation before and after the attack?
ANS – Before the attack the deer was unaware, peaceful and drinks calmly in the forests coolness and shadow. The deer is surrounded by the coolness and shadows of the forest that emphasizes safety, harmony and gentleness of the nature. Suddenly death leaped on it and its peaceful state is shattered. The attack was so sudden, violent & brutal that the serene forest is abruptly transformed into dangerous, deadly place.
The deer’s situation after the attack is tragic and deeply emotional. The deer is torn and dies with the memory of its mate.
c. How does the poet differentiate between the two types of beauty in nature?
ANS – In the poem, the deer is described as beautiful, wild, mild, harmless beauty, whereas the tiger is portrayed as brilliant, mighty, pitiless, great beast, strong, and cruel beauty.
This differentiation of the natural beauty by the poet shows that nature holds both gentle and brutal forms of beauty. Innocence and violence coexist in the natural world.
The beauty of the deer lies in its calmness, innocence, and natural grace, whereas the beauty of the tiger lies in its strength, might, and deadly power. It moves skillfully with mighty chest, gleaming eyes, and soft, soundless paw.
The beauty of the deer is harmless, whereas that of the tiger is cruel. One beauty gives life and peace, while the other takes it away through power and fear.
The sharp contrast between the tiger and deer’s beauty lies in their nature, behavior, and the kind of beauty they represent.
II. Answer the following questions in a sentence each.
a. What does the poet prophesy about the tiger?
ANS – The poet prophesies that one day may come when the tiger no more couches or leaps in the dangerous heart of the forest.
b. What two details from the poem depict the deer’s lack of awareness before the attack? ANS – The word “unsuspecting” shows that the deer was completely unaware of the danger nearby while it was peacefully drinking the water from the pool.
The deer was surrounded by forest’s coolness and shadows, which means it felt safe and relaxed, and it does not sense the nearby threat in such a peaceful environment.
c. What do you think is the significance of the phrase ‘deep woodland’?
ANS – The phrase ‘deep woodland’ signifies the place far away, untouched in the mysterious parts of the forests. It represents a place both beautiful and dangerous, a place where life and death coexist. The place is natural wild habitat hidden from the outside world.
III. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each.
a. The poem uses vivid imagery to describe the scene. Choose any three such details and describe how they add to the overall atmosphere.
ANS – Vivid imagery means using descriptive language that creates clear, intense pictures in the reader’s mind. Such description appeals to the senses to make scenes feel real and alive.
In the poem the scene is described using vivid imagery. Here are some details from the poem & how they add to the overall atmosphere.
(1) Gleaming eyes, and mighty chest and soft soundless paws of grandeur and murder?
The above lines from the poem adds rich imagery to the scene and atmosphere. The words gleaming eyes and mighty chest highlights the tiger’s strength and majestic beauty. The ‘soft soundless paws’ indicate suspense and tension.
(2) The wind slipped through the leaves as if afraid. It shows that even the nature is aware of the approaching danger. By personification of the wind the poet highlights the intensity of the situation. It adds to the feeling of suspense.
(3) The deer drank unsuspecting from the great pool in the forest’s coolness and shadows. These lines suggest that the deer is completely unaware of the situation and its future. These lines tell that the deer felt very relaxed, comfortable and safe in the deep forest. This scene makes the attack feel so sudden and shocking.
(4) Till suddenly death leaped on the beautiful wild deer as it drank. These lines reveal the sudden and violent nature of the attack. It shows how quickly a serene environment is transformed into a tragedy. The attack was so unexpected which created a sense of shock. The personification of death saying that death leaped makes the moment more dramatic and powerful and reflects the deadly nature of the tiger.
(5) It fell and torn died remembering its mate left sole in the deep woodland. These lines reveal the brutality of the tiger’s attack and the emotional tragic impact on the deer emphasizing the physical pain and emotional pain the deer suffered simultaneously. The phrase ‘died remembering its mate’ suggests that the deer is worried about its mate even in its last moments. And the phrase ‘left sole in the deep woodland’ tells that now the deer’s mate is all alone which adds to the sorrow.
(6) Destroyed the mild harmless beauty by the strong and beauty in nature. The lines add to the vivid imagery by depicting a powerful contrast between two opposing forces in nature. Mild harmless beauty presents a gentle and peaceful image of the deer and “strong and beauty” represents powerful, violent image of the tiger. The word ‘Destroyed’ is very powerful in this context. It emphasizes the complete and tragic end of the deed. A evokes intense feeling of sadness and injustice in the minds of readers. The phrase “in nature” tells that this action is on part of natural world and that nature holds both tenderness and terror within its beauty.
b. What according to you is the theme of the poem?
ANS – According to me the theme of the poem ‘The tiger and the Deer’ is the contrast between innocence and cruelty in nature.
The poem presents a deep and thought provoking theme about the harsh reality of the nature.
The poet uses vivid imagery and symbolism to describe how innocence and gentleness often fall victim to strength and cruelty in the natural world.
The poem tries to suggest that the strong often dominates the weak.
The contrast between two kinds of beauties show that not all beauty is kind or safe. Sometimes beauty can be destructive and dangerous. This gives the message that about the dual nature of the natural world.
The poet also prophesy about the tiger that one day the destroyers like the tiger may no longer exist. The poet hopes that violence and killing and the power of the predator may come to an end. By comparing the tiger with mammoth which are no longer exist now the poet suggests that powerful creatures can disappear on day.
All the end the poet gives a powerful message through the following lines “The mighty perish in their might! The slain survive the slayer”. These lines convey that no matter how powerful cruelty and violence are, they are temporary. And peace, innocence and gentleness have lasting values. The poet hopes for the future where the weak are safe.
C. Explain briefly how the deer’s memory contributes to the poem’s message.
ANS – The moment when the tiger attacks the deer and tears it apart the deer thinks about its mates.
The thoughts of the deer are very touching. Even when the deer is approaching death, he is worried about its mate who will now be all alone in the deep woodland.
The deer’s memory suggests that the death caused by violence doesn’t affect only one life, it devastates the lives of those who are left behind.
The loneliness of the mate represents the way violence leaves scars.
The deer thinking of the mate makes the reader empathize with it.
The deer’s memory symbolizes a kind of gentle world – a world with emotions, love, sympathy, innocence and peace.
The memory gives emotional weightage to the message of the poem. It shows that life is not just about power, strength and might. It’s about emotions, compassion and love & care. It adds to the message that true beauty lies in love and peace and not in cruelty and might.
IV Answer the following questions in about 150 words each.
a. The poet has used many different adjectives to describe the tiger. Build a composite descriptive sketch of the tiger using these adjectives.
ANS – The poet describes the tiger using powerful adjectives and vivid imagery. Here is the composite descriptive sketch of the tiger using these adjectives.
The tiger is portrayed as brilliant, couching and slouching means moving ahead with grace through the green heart of the forest.
The tigers have gleaming eyes and mighty chest. These give the tiger its majestic appearance and a sense of grandeur. The appearance of the tiger makes him impressive and intimidating.
It moves with soft and soundless paws making no noise at all as it proceeds. This highlights the ability of the tiger to hunt silently. The moves are graceful but creates a sense of fear, tension and suspense. This moves enhances the atmosphere of danger.
The tiger is described as a pitiless splendour which is a powerful phrase that presents two contrasting ideas. He is portrayed as splendour which means he has magnificent beauty and brilliance. While at the same time he is merciless and ruthless. This shows the cruel side of the natural beauty.
The poem further says that tiger is a great beast. The adjective great suggests that he is large, powerful and majestic emphasizing the dominance and strength. The word beast suggests that he is wild, untamed animal with lack of emotions and mercy.
Finally, the poet describes the tiger as strong and cruel beauty. Which means the tiger whose appearance is majestic and awe inspiring, his actions are violent and deadly. Something which is ruthless, dominant and dangerous can appear graceful and attractive.
b. What is the poet’s attitude towards the tiger?
ANS – The poet’s attitude towards the tiger is both admiring and critical.
On the one hand the poet praises the beauty and appearance of the tiger while on the other hand he emphasizes highlights the cruel nature of the tiger.
The poet uses phrases like gleaming eyes, mighty chest, bestront and words like, brilliant, splendour, grandeur, great, strong to describe the magnificence of the tiger. He also used phrases like pitiless splendour, great beast, cruel beauty, and words like murder, fatal to emphasize upon the brutality and deadly nature of the tiger.
The poet praises the beauty and criticizes the brutality at the same time suggests that he recognizes the duality in nature. He understands that the nature can be magnificent and merciless and dangerous at the same time. He tries to explain this through the example of tiger. According to the poet, the tiger perfectly represents the duality the poet wants to show – both majestic and deadly.
The poet is impressed by the tiger’s power and Elegance. He admires his beauty, grace, might and his controlled movements. However, it does not mean he disregards his brutal and deadly He does not celebrate this cruelty. The poet does not hate the tiger, he respects the tiger’s natural role but he disapproves of the cruelty it represents. He highlights the tiger’s nature through vivid imagery and various adjectives.
Finally the poet hopes to see a world where innocence and gentleness can survive without fear of violence or cruelty. He hopes that one day just as the mighty mammoth disappeared the tiger with will no longer exist in nature. He wants the cruelty and brutality in nature to come to an end. He sees the tiger as a symbol of fading brutality and expresses hope that power without mercy will eventually disappear.
c. How do the images of Nature chosen by the poet help him elaborate on his theme?
ANS – The theme of the poem is the contrast between strength and innocence, cruelty and gentleness, beauty and brutality.
To elaborate the theme the poet has chosen some natural elements such as the tiger and the deer, The forest, deep woodland, shadows, pool, the wind, leaves, and painted a realistic and emotional picture of nature.
The poet describes the dual nature of the tiger which shows how cruelty can exist beneath an impressive appearance. In contrast he shows the deer as innocent, beautiful, mild and harmless. The nature of the deer and the tiger serves as a powerful symbol that helped the poet convey his central message about the cruelty of power and the innocence of the weak in natural world and his hope for more peaceful future.
Other natural elements chosen by the poet such as leaves, wind, forest, woodland and pool of water are not just background details in the poem, they are carefully chosen elements that helped the poet express his opinion about nature’s beauty, danger and his hope for peace.
The wind moves silently and carefully without making any noise so that its monument do not disturb the tiger. It hardly dares to breathe means it becomes extremely quiet and tense.
The wind slipped through the leaves as if afraid. This personification of a natural lifeless element creates a tense and mood of suspenseful mood. It adds to the elaboration of silent and hidden dangers.
The phrase “The great heart of the forest” used by the poet refers to the deepest, most alive natural part of the forest. The word green symbolizes the richness of the forests filled with trees, plants and life. The word heart suggests the center or core of the forest. Just like human heart is essential for human life. The greenery of the forest represents the heart of the forest.
The pool of water, the forests coolness and shadow represents the serene atmosphere of the forest. They symbolize peace and tranquility, comfort, refreshment, also protection and mystery. The pool is calm. The shadow adds a sense of safety but also hidden danger. It shows that while the forest seems peaceful something dangerous is silently waiting in the darkness. These words create a picture of a serene, gentle, innocent and a quiet moment just before it is destroyed by violence.
“Deep woodland” adds emotional strength to the poem. It suggests the inner, dense and remote part of the forest. Here the nature is wild, untouched and mysterious. The phrase adds emotional depth to the memory of the deer in several powerful ways. The deep woodland, being vast and silent, highlights the isolation and sorrow of the surviving mate. Its mention in the poem connects the deer to its natural home, and it highlights the deer’s bond with its environment and its mate. This phrase also emphasizes how death and separation happen silently in the hidden parts of nature unnoticed by the world.
These images of nature chosen by the poet not only brings the forest scene vividly to life but also reinforces the poet’s message of the dual nature of the world and hope for the future.
The Tiger and the deer fybcom
The Tiger and the deer sri aurobindo
The Tiger and the deer orient blackswan
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