THE TIGER KING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CLASS -12

 

THE TIGER KING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CLASS -12

READING WITH INSIGHT

Question -1The story is a satire on the concept of those in power . how  does the author employ the literary device of dramatic irony in the story. ?

Answer -The story is about a king who kills a hundred innocent tigers. He does this because a tiger has been predicted as the cause of his death. In his pride of power he takes so many lives. The proud king bans tiger hunting in his kingdom by anyone other than himself. He even jeopardizes his rule by refusing to allow a high British official to come, and succeeds in his maneuver. He does this to believe the prediction of his own death by a tiger. But in spite of hunting so many tigers his prediction came true. One day he is playing with his son with a wooden tiger. It has a sharp silvery wood on its rough surface. One such pierces his hand. The wound takes his life. Thus a small wooden tiger becomes the cause of his death. It was a dramatic irony. A mighty king was killed by a wooden tiger which no one could have imagined..

Question -2 What did the astrologers tell when the tiger king was born ?

Answer -In the story Tiger King we see that innocent tigers are killed at the behest of a king. Just to prove the predictions of astrologers wrong. The arrogant king does this instead of having a security cordon around him to protect himself from the tiger. Story told in a humorous tone. The author is nowhere to be seen preaching against animal killing. But indirectly he sympathizes with innocent animals who were subject to the will of humans. The kings first secretly targeted and annihilated the tiger in the kingdom and went on to marry a girl from a good state. Tiger statistics for realizing the higher purpose and leveling the prediction of astrologers. The author remarks that a murderous innocent animal is never spared by nature. Raja's death caused by a wooden tiger appears to be a revenge for the hidden heartless act of killing the tigers. This appears to be a lesson for those who are cruel to innocent animals and deal with them at will.

Question -3 How would you described the behaviour of the maharaja minions towards him ? do you find them truly sincere towards him or they driven by fear when they obey him ? do you find a similarity in todays’s political order ?

 

Answer – Maharaja's ministers are always afraid of losing their jobs. Maharaj gets angry very easily and fires him. That's why they always obey him out of fear. When the Maharaja told the Diwan that he wanted to marry, the Diwan inexplicably replied that he already had two wives, and thus how could he marry her. Also when the king fails to see a tiger to fulfill his mission, his servant becomes frightened at the prospect of losing his job. The Maharaja ordered his Dewan to locate a tiger at any cost. Afraid of losing his job, poor Diwan brings a tiger from a zoo. Raja misses a final goal. The hunter shoots the tiger instead of telling him the truth. Otherwise they could have lost their jobs. This has always been happening. Only a few people have the courage to disagree with their rulers, most people are like a device that tells the direction of the wind and they tell in which direction the wind is blowing.
 That is the political system of today. Has employment or is not truly honest towards the government. People instead of serving their motherland they work only to remain in their jobs. Their main aim is to keep their officers happy.

 

Question-4  Can you relate instance of game – hunting among the rich powerful in the present time that illustrate the callousness of human beings towards wildlife ?

Answer – Although today we have strict laws for the protection of wildlife, sporting events are still widely watched. The rich and powerful have no fear of the law. They consider wild animals as a means of entertainment and sports. They think that going for game hunting is a matter of royal pleasure. While doing this they also forget that these animals also feel pain. They kill innocent animals just for fun. Amir Sheikh, who hunted black buck in Rajasthan, is an example of such tough people. Famous film star Salman Khan has also been held responsible for hunting blackbuck. Though it is a non-bailable offence, he has been granted bail. It shows that people with political or economic clout easily violate relevant rules while an ordinary person is cornered for a crime. Influential people have freedom from punishment. This shows that the rules are different to reach the people of the society. These are some examples of human heartlessness towards wildlife.

Question -5 – we need a new system for the age of ecology – a system which is embedded in the care of all people and also in the care of the earth and all life upon it . Discuss .

 

Answer – Earth is a different planet from what it used to be today. The forests have been destroyed. The road has been turned into a mountain. Glaciers are shrinking. Toxic gases are making the environment dangerous. Global warming stands as a major threat to all life on earth. We are inviting many natural calamities like drought, flood, cyclone etc. The depletion of your ozone layer has threatened our existence. At this stage, we are in dire need of a system that can protect the ecology. We have to strike a balance between development at the cost of spoiling our ecology. Our ecology has to be protected in every possible way. A safe ecology will guarantee safe life on earth. One should be mindful of this importance. If we are to use ecological resources for our sustainability, then these ecological contributions must also be conserved and protected for the successive generation of humanity. We need to immediately stop our anti-nature activities.