Poets of Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme    

Lesson 30: The Tiger

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Performer: Librivox - Joy Chan

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

• Read or listen to the poem.
• Review the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Read about the poet.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

A hunter finds a sleeping tiger, but the tiger awakens before the hunter can shoot. The tiger crouches to spring at the hunter. We don't know the hunter's fate, but we can guess, as the poem warns of the tiger that has tasted human flesh. Note to instructors: The poem/tiger is symbolic of passion (e.g. 'jungle of the senses' in line 1), but we will treat the poem characters, places, and events literally for the little ones.

Vocabulary

Soundly: Securely or reliably.
Rouse: To awaken.
Amorous: Showing, feeling, or relating to love.
Dilate: Make or become wider, larger, or more open.

Concepts

1. Ella Wheeler Wilcox was born in 1850 in Johnstown, Wisconsin. See her picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Wilcox's birth state of Wisconsin (WI) on the map of the continental United States.

3. Wilcox infused her poems with passion, optimism, and joy. One of her most famous poems, 'Solitude', contains the line, 'Laugh, and the world laughs with you, Weep and you weep alone'.
4. After her marriage in 1884, Wilcox became very interested in the paranormal. She and her husband promised that whomever passed on first would communicate with the other from the spirit world. When her husband died after thirty years of marriage, she was distraught when no message from beyond came from her husband.
5. Wilcox died of cancer in 1918 at the age of 68 in Short Beach, Connecticut.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Title, the Poet's Name, and the Poem

• Each day this week, recite aloud the title of the poem, the name of the poet, and the poem.

Activity 2: Study the Poem Picture

• Study the poem picture, and describe how it relates to the poem.

Activity 3: Narrate the Poem

After reading or listening to the poem, narrate the poem events aloud using your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Poem   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 32 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for Second Grade.'

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?

1 / 5

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'The Tiger.'

1 / 5

Question 2

What is the name of the poet who wrote 'The Tiger?'

2 / 5

Answer 2

The name of the poet is Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

2 / 5

Question 3

What happens in the poem?

3 / 5

Answer 3

A hunter finds a sleeping tiger, but the tiger awakens before the hunter can shoot. The tiger crouches to spring at the hunter. We don't know the hunter's fate, but the poem warns of the tiger that has tasted human flesh.

3 / 5

Question 4

Who are the characters in the poem?

4 / 5

Answer 4

The main characters are the tiger and the hunter.

4 / 5

Question 5

Does the poem teach us anything?

5 / 5

Answer 5

The poem warns that the hunter can become the hunted. The poem also cautions us to beware the man-eating tiger.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'The Tiger.'
2. What is the name of the poet who wrote 'The Tiger?' The name of the poet is Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
3. What happens in the poem? A hunter finds a sleeping tiger, but the tiger awakens before the hunter can shoot. The tiger crouches to spring at the hunter. We don't know the hunter's fate, but the poem warns of the tiger that has tasted human flesh.
4. Who are the characters in the poem? The main characters are the tiger and the hunter.
5. Does the poem teach us anything? The poem warns that the hunter can become the hunted. The poem also cautions us to beware the man-eating tiger.

References

'Ella Wheeler Wilcox.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.