Circus Elephant
by Kathryn Worth
The Poem:
"Does the Elephant remember
In the grey light before dawn,
Old noises of the jungle
In morning long gone?
Does the elephant remember
The cry of hungry beasts;
The Tiger and the Leopard,
The Lion at his feasts?
Do his mighty eardrums listen
For the thunder of the feet
Of the Buffalo and Zebra
In the dark and dreadful heat?
Does His Majesty remember,
Does he stir himself and dream
Of the long-forgotten music
Of a long-forgotten stream?"
Summary of the poem:
In this poem, the poet describes the elephants who are kept captive in the circus by the humans. Now he is far away from the jungle and his near and dear ones. Now whether he can recall his forest memory or not.
They cheer the children with their tricks and play. He has to act accordingly the circus instructor. He has forgotten all the sights and sounds of the jungle.
The poet supposes what the gentle giant creatures would be thinking to be back to their homes in the peaceful jungles far away from the human sight.
The poet is throwing a question to the society that is it right for us to snatch a creature's freedom. We can not deprive these animals from their freedom and compel them to stay confined.
He portrays the liking of the elephants like having green juicy leaves and sleeping peacefully rather than being ill-treated and taken as a joke or a plaything.
1. Number the following in the sequence in which they are spoken about in the poem:
a. the music of the long-forgotten stream. [4]
b. the footfall of the Buffalo and Zebra. [3]
c. grey light before dawn. [1]
d. the cry of hungry beasts. [2]
2. Read these lines and answer the questions that follow:
"Does the Elephant remember
In the grey light before dawn,
Old noises of the jungle
In mornings long gone?"
a. Where is the elephant?
= The elephant is in the circus.
b. What 'noises' of the 'jungle' does the poet describe in the poem?
= The 'noises' of the 'jungle' the poet describes in the poem are - the cry of hungry beasts; the sounds of the tiger, the leopard and the lion at his feasts, the thundering of the feet of the buffalo and zebra and the music of a long-forgotten stream.
c. Why does the poet refer to the noises of the jungle as 'old'?
= The poet refers to the noises of the jungle as 'old' because the elephant is now in the circus. He has come here leaving the jungle long ago. So, all the things of the jungle are 'old' for him. The memory of all these things have been faded away from his brain.
3. Which words does the poet use the elephant in the last verse of the poem? What does the poet use to show by using these words?
= The poet uses the words 'His Majesty' for the elephant in the last verse of the poem.
The poet wishes to show that the elephant is a kingly animal. It was free and familiar with every scene and sound of the jungle when it was in the jungle. But, now, in spite of being a kingly animal, he is confined in the circus.
4. If the elephant could speak, what do you think he would say?
= If the elephant could say, it must have been describing the pain and misery to be in the circus. He would have described how his life has been changed till he had been compelled to join the circus. He must have told about his past days in the jungle and would have ask for the news of the jungle.
5. According to you, does the poet think it is right for animals to perform in a circus? Give reasons for your answer.
= According to me, the poet doesn't think it is right for animals to perform in a circus.
From the very beginning to the last verse of the poem, the poet is trying to insist the elephant to remember about his past life in the jungle. He tells him about all the various sounds of the jungle which he used to listen to while being in the jungle. To some extent the poet is trying to say that the elephant should be in the jungle as it is the best place for him to live in, instead of being in the circus.