HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS

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…

1. Figure of Speech: Imagery

Exact Line: “To jungles in the east;”
Reason: This line creates a vivid visual setting, placing the reader in
the exotic and distant jungles of the east.

2. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole

Exact Line: “If he roars at you as you’re dyin’”
Reason: This is an exaggeration for dramatic effect. The phrase
suggests an extreme reaction (dying from fear) to the lion’s roar,
which adds to the humor and vividness of the poem.

3. Figure of Speech: Rhyme

Exact Line: The whole stanza
Reason: The stanza follows a rhyme scheme (AABBCC), which is
evident in the rhyming words ‘chance’ with ‘advance’ and ‘beast’ with
‘east’, ‘dyin’’ with ‘Lion…’. This rhyme scheme adds a rhythmic
quality to the poem.

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.
1. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: “Just notice if he eats you.”
Reason: This line is ironic because it suggests a humorously
understated way of identifying a Bengal Tiger (by being eaten),
which is an absurd and lethal method for animal identification.

2. Figure of Speech: Alliteration

Exact Line: “roaming round,”
Reason: The repetition of the ‘r’ sound in “roaming round” creates a
rhythmic effect and adds to the poem’s playful tone.

Re-evaluating the line “A noble wild beast greets you,” it indeed

seems more fitting to classify it as an oxymoron rather than a
metaphor:

3. Figure of Speech: Oxymoron

Exact Line: “A noble wild beast greets you,”
Reason: The phrase combines two contrasting ideas: ‘noble,’ which
often connotes dignity or high moral qualities, and ‘wild beast,’ which
suggests untamed and potentially dangerous nature. This
juxtaposition of contrasting terms creates an oxymoron, emphasizing
the ironic humor in describing a dangerous animal like a tiger as
‘noble.’

4. Figure of Speech: Imagery

Exact Line: “With black stripes on a yellow ground,”
Reason: This line vividly describes the Bengal Tiger’s distinctive
appearance, painting a clear visual picture for the reader.

5. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole

Exact Line: “Just notice if he eats you.”
Reason: This is an exaggeration for dramatic and humorous effect. It
is highly improbable to casually ‘notice’ being eaten, which
underscores the poem’s playful tone.

6. Figure of Speech: Personification

Exact Line: “A noble wild beast greets you,”
Reason: The tiger is personified through the action of ‘greeting,’
attributing a human-like behaviour to an animal.

7. Figure of Speech: Poetic Licence

Reason: The stanza as a whole employs poetic licence in its playful
and unconventional approach to describing a dangerous animal,
particularly in the use of humour and irony.

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.

1. Figure of Speech: Imagery

Exact Line: “Whose hide with spots is peppered,”
Reason: This line vividly describes the leopard’s spotted hide,
creating a clear and visual image in the reader’s mind.

2. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole

Exact Line: “As soon as he has lept on you,” / “He’ll only lep and lep
again”
Reason: These lines exaggerate the leopard’s behavior for humorous
effect, suggesting an overly dramatic and persistent attack.

3. Figure of Speech: Irony

Exact Line: “’Twill do no good to roar with pain,”
Reason: This line is ironic because it humorously suggests that
roaring (typically a predatory action) would be a futile human
response to a leopard’s attack.

4. Figure of Speech: Alliteration

Exact Line: “lep and lep again”
Reason: The repetition of the ‘l’ sound in “lep and lep” adds a
rhythmic quality to the poem, enhancing its playful tone.
5. Figure of Speech: Poetic Licence
Exact Line: “lept” / “lep”
Reason: The poet uses non-standard forms of ‘leapt’ and ‘leap’ for
rhyme and rhythm, demonstrating poetic licence.

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.

1. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole

Exact Line: “Who hugs you very, very hard,”
Reason: This line exaggerates the bear’s action of ‘hugging,’ which is
humorously used to describe a potentially dangerous encounter with
a bear.

2. Figure of Speech: Irony

Exact Line: “If you have any doubts, I guess / He’ll give you just one
more caress.”
Reason: These lines are ironic because the terms ‘doubts’ and ‘caress’
are used humorously to describe a bear’s aggressive behavior, which
is quite the opposite of the gentle connotation of ‘caress.’

3. Figure of Speech: Personification

Exact Line: “Who hugs you very, very hard,”
Reason: The bear is personified by the action of ‘hugging,’ a human-
like behavior, to humorously describe the bear’s potential attack.

4. Figure of Speech: Understatement

Exact Line: “If you have any doubts, I guess”
Reason: This line employs understatement by casually suggesting
that one might have ‘doubts’ about the animal’s identity,
downplaying the dangerous nature of the situation.
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.

1. Figure of Speech: Irony

Exact Line: “Hyenas come with merry smiles; / But if they weep
they’re Crocodiles.”
Reason: This is an example of irony because hyenas and crocodiles
are attributed with human-like expressions (‘merry smiles’ and
‘weeping’), which are contrary to their actual animal behaviors. It
humorously implies that one can differentiate these animals by such
human expressions, which is ironic and absurd.

2. Figure of Speech: Alliteration

Exact Line: “novice might nonplus,”
Reason: The repetition of the ‘n’ sound in “novice” and “nonplus”
creates a rhythmic effect, adding to the poem’s playful tone.

3. Figure of Speech: Personification

Exact Line: “Hyenas come with merry smiles; / But if they weep
they’re Crocodiles.”
Reason: This personifies the hyena and crocodile by attributing them
with the ability to smile and weep, respectively, which are human
characteristics.

4. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole

Exact Line: “But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.”
Reason: This line exaggerates by humorously suggesting that
crocodiles weep, an overstatement to differentiate them from hyenas.

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.

1. Figure of Speech: Imagery

Exact Line: “The true Chameleon is small, / A lizard sort of thing;”
Reason: These lines create a clear visual image of the chameleon,
describing its size and likening it to a lizard, which helps the reader
visualize the animal.

2. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole

Exact Line: “If there is nothing on the tree, / ’Tis the chameleon you
see.”
Reason: This is an exaggeration for effect. The chameleon, while
having excellent camouflage, doesn’t literally become ‘nothing’ or
completely invisible, but the line exaggerates this ability to stress its
effectiveness.

3. Figure of Speech: Alliteration

Exact Line: “He hasn’t any ears at all,”
Reason: The repetition of the ‘a’ sound in “any” and “at all” adds a
rhythmic quality to the line.

4. Figure of Speech: Paradox

Exact Line: “If there is nothing on the tree, / ’Tis the chameleon you
see.”
Reason: This line presents a paradox — the idea of seeing ‘nothing’
on the tree being indicative of the chameleon’s presence. It plays on
the concept of seeing by not seeing, a contradictory notion that
emphasizes the chameleon’s camouflage.

5. Figure of Speech: Understatement

Exact Line: “A lizard sort of thing;”
Reason: This line downplays the unique nature of the chameleon,
referring to it casually as “a lizard sort of thing,” which is an
understatement given the chameleon’s distinctive features and
abilities.
6. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: “If there is nothing on the tree, / ’Tis the chameleon you
see.”
Reason: This line is ironic because it plays on the paradoxical nature
of the chameleon’s camouflage. The irony lies in the statement that
seeing ‘nothing’ (an empty tree) is actually an indication of the
chameleon’s presence. It humorously reverses expectations: the
absence of a visible creature signifies its presence, highlighting the
chameleon’s exceptional ability to blend in with its environment.