First Flight Poem – How to Tell Wild Animals 10

 Class 10 

First Flight Poem – How to Tell Wild Animals

 by Carolyn Wells 

Word Meanings 

1. If ever you should go by chance / To jungles in the East

• Chance – accidentally

• Beast – wild animal

• Roaring – loud sound of a lion

• Tawny – yellow-brown color

• Noble – grand, majestic

2. If he roars at you as you’re dying / You’ll know it is the Asiatic Lion.

• Asiatic – from Asia (India’s lions live in Gir Forest, Gujarat)

3. Or if sometimes you come to know / A creature that hugs you tight…

• Creature – living animal

• Hugs you tight – presses with paws

• ’Embrace’ – hug

• This is the Bengal Tiger.

4. If you are walking round your yard / And meet a grizzly bear…

• Grizzly – huge and fierce

• Caress – gentle touch (used humorously here; actually a fatal attack)

5. Though to distinguish beasts of prey / A novice might nonplus…

• Distinguish – to recognize

• Beasts of prey – flesh-eating wild animals

• Novice – beginner

• Nonplus – confused

• Hyena – wild animal that laughs loudly

• Chuckle – laugh softly

6. The true Chameleon is small, / A lizard sort of thing…

• Chameleon – a reptile that changes colour

• Lizard – reptile

• Thing – creature

 Central Idea

The poem humorously explains how to recognize different wild animals. The poet uses funny descriptions—like a lion’s roar, a tiger’s embrace, a bear’s hug, a leopard’s pounce, a hyena’s laugh, and a chameleon’s ability to disappear. The central idea is to entertain while describing animals in a playful and humorous way.

 Summary 

In this comic poem, Carolyn Wells tells us how to identify wild animals. If in the jungle you see a lion, you’ll know it by its loud roar. A tiger can be known if it “embraces” you (attacks). A leopard is recognized by its spots and quick attack. A bear hugs you tightly (actually kills you). A hyena can be identified by its laughing sound, while a crocodile can be recognized by its tears (false sympathy). Finally, the chameleon is so small and blends with its surroundings that it is often invisible unless it is sitting on a colored tree. The poem mixes humor and irony with descriptions.

 Figures of Speech

1. Humour – The whole poem is comic.

2. Irony – Deadly animal actions (attack, bite, hug) are described in a playful tone.

3. Alliteration – “Roars as you’re dying”, “hug you tight”, “lep will leap”.

4. Imagery – Vivid pictures of lion’s roar, tiger’s hug, leopard’s leap.

5. Personification – Crocodile weeping “tears”.

6. Hyperbole – Exaggeration of animals "hugging" or “laughing”.

 NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

Thinking About the Poem

Q1. Does ‘dying’ really refer to death?

• No. In the poem, “dying” is used humorously to show the danger of facing a lion. Actually, the lion’s roar is so frightening that it feels like death.

Q2. The poet uses the word “lept” for the leopard. Why do you think she uses this word instead of “leaped”?

• The poet uses “lept” to maintain the rhyme scheme and rhythm of the poem. It matches with “except”.

Q3. How does the poet describe the hyena and the crocodile?

• The hyena is described as an animal that laughs when it kills.

• The crocodile is described as shedding false tears while eating its victim.

Q4. Why is the Chameleon described in the last stanza? What makes it different from the other animals described in the poem?

• The chameleon is very small and harmless, unlike the other dangerous animals.

• It is different because it does not attack; instead, it hides itself by changing colour and becomes invisible.

Q1. Does ‘dying’ really refer to death? If not, what does it refer to?

Answer:
No, ‘dying’ here does not really mean death. It is used humorously to show how terrifying it would be to meet a lion in the forest. The poet exaggerates that the roar of the Asiatic lion is so frightening that one might feel as if he is dying.

Q2. The poet uses the word “lept” for the leopard. Why do you think she uses this word instead of “leaped”?
Answer:
The poet uses the word “lept” instead of “leaped” in order to fit the rhyme scheme of the poem. It rhymes with the word “except” in the next line. Poets sometimes change spellings to maintain rhythm and rhyme.

Q3. How does the poet describe the hyena and the crocodile?
Answer:

• The hyena is described as a creature that laughs in a strange way, almost like a human chuckle.

• The crocodile is described as shedding false tears while swallowing its victim. This is humorously called “crocodile tears.”

Q4. Why is the Chameleon described in the last stanza? What makes it different from the other animals described in the poem?
Answer:
The chameleon is described in the last stanza because it is different from the other animals. While the other animals are dangerous and can attack humans, the chameleon is harmless. Its special feature is that it can change its colour to match its surroundings, so it often becomes invisible.