Ajamil and the Tigers
UNDERSTANDING THE POEM
1. The poem has a literal level and a figurative level. Why has the
poet chosen ‘tigers’ and ‘sheep’ to convey his message?
Answer:
2. What facet of political life does the behaviour of Ajamil illustrate?
Answer:
3. Why have the words, ‘pretended’ and ‘seemed’ been used in the
lines:
...pretended to believe every single word
of what the tiger king said
And seemed to be taken in by all the lies.
How does the sense of these lines connect with the line ‘Ajamil
wasn’t a fool’?
Answer:
4. Why did Ajamil refuse to meet the sheepdog’s eyes?
Answer:
5. ‘He is free to play a flute all day as well fed tigers and fat sheep
drink from the same pond with a full stomach for a common
bond.’
Answer:
What do the phrases ‘play the flute all day’ and ‘a common bond’
refer to?
Answer:
6. The poem is a satire against the present political class. How
effectively does it convey the anger and anguish of the common
man trapped in the system?
Answer:
TRY THIS OUT
Find out the difference between these literary forms
(a) fable (b) allegory (c) satire.
DABP006733
