Class IX CBSE | NCERT Complete Solution| Summary -Hindi and English| Q&A and Words Meaning |
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You, exactly landed on right Place.
Today, I will be discussing all the important points of the poem “How to Tell Wild Animal” by Carolyn Wells. I ensure you will get a complete idea to write the summary, central idea, and explanation of the poem orderly. You will be able to write the specification and figure of speech used in this poem too. After reading this page you will find the secret to score outstanding marks in the board examination.
Let’s get started
Overview-
- About the Poet,
- Short introduction of the Poem
- Stanza-wise explanation along with reference and context
- Keywords and Quick Point after each Stanza
- Central idea of The Poem
- Videos just like a live class
- Relevant Quotations and statements
- Specification (Themes and figure of speech etc.)
About The Poet
Carolyn Wells was born in 1862 he was an American writer who became popular as a literary figure for books based on mystery. Her famous works are at the sign of the Sphinx (1896), The Jingle book (1899), the story of Betty (1899), etc.
About The Poem: How to tell Wild Animal
In the poem, the poet has vividly described the characteristics of various wild animals in a very strange way. The description of an animal’s action creates humour and fun to the readers. She is introducing the reader to various kinds of wild animals like Asian lions, Bengal tigers, bears, etc. explaining each of the animals in a very humorous way. Stay tuned with us to know more about this poem.
What can we learn from this Poem
- Variance in the creation of God
- Different nature and characteristics of wild animals
- Beauty of Language used in the poem
- Unknown people can get idea how the wild animals attack the mankind
How to Tell Wild Animals : Summary of the Poem
The poet is vividly describing animals of the forest living in different parts of the country. These animals are not easy to handle with rather they are very dangerous. Poet has explained them one by one in a very humorous way. First, she tells us about an Asian lion. She states that if you are visiting the forest of the east and there you see an animal that has tawny/brown skin and he roars loudly that you will die out of fear. This means that you have seen an Asian lion.
Secondly, She tells us about the Bengal tiger assumed to be a royal animal that all of a sudden attacks and kills a man. With descriptive additional information, the poet says that if this beautiful black striped animal kills you and eats you, then you have surely met a Bengal tiger.
After that, she says if you met an animal that has black-spotted skin and it at once jumps on/leap upon you, then it means that you have met a leopard. Moreover, she says further if one will cry out painfully, perhaps there will be no use to cry as the leopard will not stop attacking one.
Next, she talks about the bear that will hug you very tightly. This is the way to identify a bear as it kills a person by hugging him very tightly. So, she says that the bear will continue to hug us tightly and that is the only way to recognize him. After this, she asks a question to the readers that do they know how to recognize beasts that hunt their prey. Here poet explains about hyenas that she thinks it has a smiling face and the crocodiles that have tears in their eyes. This can be seen when they are killing their prey.
In the last, she is talking about a chameleon. She says that it is a sort of lizards which do not have ears and wings just like a lizard. It changes its skin colour according to the colour of the surface where it lives. Only this can help you differentiate between a lizard and a chameleon. Therefore, to explain this she says that if the reader looks at the tree and if he can only see the tree, this means that there is a chameleon sitting on it which has already turned its colour to brown just like the branch of the tree.
Summary in Hindi: How to Tell Wild Animals
कवि देश के विभिन्न हिस्सों में रहने वाले जंगल के जानवरों का विशद वर्णन कर रहा है। इन जानवरों को संभालना आसान नहीं है, बल्कि वे बहुत खतरनाक हैं। कवि ने उन्हें एक-एक करके बड़े ही हास्य तरीके से समझाया है। सबसे पहले, वह हमें एक एशियाई शेर के बारे में बताती है। वह बताती है कि यदि आप पूर्व के जंगल में जा रहे हैं और वहां आपको एक जानवर दिखाई दे रहा है, जिसके शरीर में भूरी त्वचा है और वह जोर से दहाड़ता है कि आप डर के मारे मर जाएंगे। इसका मतलब है कि आपने एक एशियाई शेर देखा है।
दूसरे, वह हमें बताती है कि बंगाल के बाघ को एक शाही जानवर माना जाता है जो अचानक हमला करता है और एक आदमी को मार डालता है। वर्णनात्मक अतिरिक्त जानकारी के साथ, कवि कहता है कि यदि यह सुंदर काली धारीदार जानवर आपको मारता है और आपको खाता है, तो आप निश्चित रूप से एक बंगाल बाघ से मिल चुके हैं।
उसके बाद, वह कहती है कि अगर आप किसी ऐसे जानवर से मिले, जिसकी त्वचा काली पड़ी हो और वह एक बार आपसे छलांग लगा दे, तो इसका मतलब है कि आप एक तेंदुए से मिल चुके हैं। इसके अलावा, वह आगे कहती है कि अगर कोई दर्द से रोएगा, तो शायद रोने का कोई फायदा नहीं होगा क्योंकि तेंदुआ किसी पर हमला करना बंद नहीं करेगा।
इसके बाद, वह भालू के बारे में बात करती है जो आपको बहुत कसकर गले लगाएगा। यह एक भालू की पहचान करने का तरीका है क्योंकि यह एक व्यक्ति को बहुत कसकर गले लगाकर मारता है। इसलिए, वह कहती है कि भालू हमें कसकर गले लगाना जारी रखेगा और उसे पहचानने का एकमात्र तरीका है।
इसके बाद, वह पाठकों से एक सवाल पूछती है कि क्या वे जानते हैं कि अपने शिकार का शिकार करने वाले जानवरों को कैसे पहचाना जाए। यहाँ कवि हाइना के बारे में बताते हैं कि उन्हें लगता है कि यह मुस्कुराता हुआ चेहरा है और मगरमच्छों की आँखों में आँसू हैं। यह तब देखा जा सकता है जब वे अपने शिकार को मार रहे हों।
आखिरी में, वह गिरगिट के बारे में बात कर रही है। वह कहती है कि यह एक प्रकार की छिपकली है, जिसमें छिपकली की तरह कान और पंख नहीं होते हैं। यह सतह के रंग के अनुसार अपनी त्वचा का रंग बदलता है जहां यह रहता है। केवल यह आपको एक छिपकली और गिरगिट के बीच अंतर करने में मदद कर सकता है। इसलिए, यह समझाने के लिए वह कहती है कि अगर पाठक पेड़ को देखता है और यदि वह केवल पेड़ को देख सकता है, तो इसका मतलब है कि उस पर एक गिरगिट बैठा है जो पहले ही पेड़ की शाखा की तरह अपना रंग भूरा कर चुका है।
Note: Hindi version of summary is a machine translation it may be different from its actual meaning
How to Tell Wild Animals: Stanza wise Explanation and Figure of Speech
Stanza 1
If ever you should go by chance
To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…
Tawny: yellowish brown color
Explanation
The poet tells the readers that how they can recognize various animals in the jungles of the east. So, in the first stanza, she says that if the reader comes across an animal whose skin is yellowish brown in colour and if it roars at him so strongly that he can die out of fear, it means that he has encountered an Asian Lion. She has humorously explained the Asian Lion which could kill a person with its roar.
Stanza 2
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.
Word meanings
Noble: high born, aristocratic
Discern: recognize
Explanation
She explains an animal that roams in the jungle and belongs to a royal clan. The colour of its skin is yellowish with black stripes. She says that if you notice that he kills you and eats you up, then this means that you have surely seen a Bengal Tiger. This time also she has used dark humour to explain how a tiger looks like because once a person has been eaten up by a wild animal, there is no use in determining which wild animal it is.
Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (round-ground, you-you learn-discern)
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound ‘r’ at start of two or more closely connected words (roaming round)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (The Bengal Tiger to discern)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Bengal Tiger)
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if sometime when roaming round)
Stanza 3
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.
Word meanings
Strolling: walking casually
Forth: forward
Hide: skin of an animal
Peppered: Here it means the spots
Lept (Leapt): jump towards someone
Explanation
The poet says that if you are casually walking in a jungle, you will meet an animal who has a skin with spots on it. This animal is so fast that it will leap on you at once which means that it will jump on you. This jumping is an indication that it is none other than the Leopard. Moreover, she adds that if you will cry out in pain, it is not going to be of any use as it will keep on jumping on you. So, in this stanza the poet has explained the characteristic of a leopard.
Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (view- you, peppered- Leopard, pain-again)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘h’ in the beginning of two words (he has)
Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings in order to create rhyme or rhythm in a poem (use of lept instead of leapt)
Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line.
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you, whose-spot, do no good to roar)
Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep)
Stanza 4
If when you’re walking round your yard
You meet a creature there,
Who hugs you very, very hard,
Be sure it is a Bear.
If you have any doubts, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.
Word meanings
Yard: backyard or the lawn area of a house
Caress: A gentle touch
Explanation
If you are walking in the lawn area of your house and you meet a creature which hugs you tightly, it is a bear. She further adds that if you are still in doubt regarding the animal, the easiest way is that he will keep hugging and touching you very gently. This act of his will make you sure about its identity. You will come to know that it is a bear.
Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (yard-hard, there- bear, guess-caress)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if you were walking….creature there)
Alliteration: use of ‘w’ sound (when-walking), use of ‘h’ sound (who- hugs), use of ‘b’ sound (be-bear)
Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)
Stanza 5
Though to distinguish beasts of prey
A novice might nonplus,
The Crocodile you always may
Tell from the Hyena thus:
Hyenas come with merry smiles;
But if they weep they’re Crocodiles
Word meanings
Distinguish: Differentiate
Beast of Prey: Any animals that hunt other animals for food
Novice: Someone new to a job
Nonplus: be confused
Explanation
The poet says that for someone who is new to the job of recognizing animals, it will be like a puzzle to recognize animals that hunt other animals for their food. So here the poet tries to help out the readers by telling the difference between two animals. He says that Hyenas will be smiling whereas if it is a crocodile, it is always in tears. Both of these animals are dangerous.
Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (prey-may, nonplus-thus, smiles-crocodiles)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘n’ (novice-nonplus), use of ‘th’ sound (the-thus)
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (though to distinguish….might nonplus, The crocodile…..hyena thus)
Stanza 6
The true Chameleon is small,
A lizard sort of thing;
He hasn’t any ears at all,
And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree,
’Tis the chameleon you see.
Explanation
The poet says that the next is Chameleon which is a small creature. It looks like a lizard but the difference between the two is that chameleon does not have ears and wings. Moreover she says that chameleon has the ability to change its color according to the surface on which it is sitting. Therefore, if you see a tree and find nothing else on it, then it must be a chameleon sitting on it. It has changed its colour into the color of tree.
Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (small-all, thing-wing, tree-see)
Alliteration: use of ‘h’ sound (he hasn’t)
Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing)
How to Tell Wild Animals |Question and Answers
Q1-Does ‘dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?
A1-The actual word is dying which does not rhyme with lion. In order to create rhyme, it is written as ‘dyin’ in the poem.
Q2- How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so, according to him?
A2-The poet differentiates between the two in the following manner-
He says that if the beast is of yellow- brown colour that is tawny colour and it roars out so fiercely that you may die out of fear, then this is an Asian lion.
Whereas, if the animal has black stripes on yellow background of hthe skin and he attacks to kill you, then it is a Bengal tiger.
Q3- Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
A3-The words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ have not been spelled correctly. It is a poetic device known as poetic license which is used by the poet to lay emphasis on the actions of the leopard.
Q4- Look at the line “A novice might nonplus”. How would you write this ‘correctly’? Why is the poet’s ‘incorrect’ line better in the poem?
A4-The correct order of the sentence is ‘a novice might be nonplussed. The poet wrote it in order to bring rhyme to her poem. nonplus rhymes with thus.
Q5- Much of the humour in the poem arises from the way language is used, although the ideas are funny as well. 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?
A5- Yes, it is true that the poet has used the language in a way that it arises humour. The poet has used many lines that are funny. 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 the wild animals is quite funny.