1.
What’s a satire?
Ans. Satire is a genre of literature, and sometimes graphic and performing arts, in which vices, follies, abuses, and
shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming
individuals, corporations, government or society itself, into improvement. Although
satire is usually meant to be humorous, its greater purpose is often
constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon and as a tool to draw attention to both
particular and wider issues in society.
2.
Write “The tiger king” as satire.
Ans. The story 'The Tiger King' is a mordant satire on the
conceit of those in power. Most of the time the rulers are not interested in
serving the people or work for the welfare of the public; instead they spend
their time in foolish pursuits. Even the coteries who surround these power
centers are interested in taking advantage of the proximity for their own
welfare. The writer has also succeeded in capturing the nuances of then and now
political system. The writer lampoons the king and the coteries who surround
him. Most the story conveys the message of conserving wildlife. The king
instead of protecting tiger acts to destroy them.
3. Justify
the title.
Ans.“The
Tiger King” is a very appropriate title for the story for several reasons.
First of all, the king is crazy about tiger hunting so much that he marries a
princess whose father’s kingdom has a sizeable tiger population. He kills one
hundred tigers just to fulfil his vow. Secondly, the king with all his frenzy,
anger and ruthlessness is as ferocious as a tiger. Thirdly, he dies of infection
received from a wooden toy tiger. Finally, the prediction that a tiger would
cause the king’s death also comes true. Since the story revolves round the king
and the hundred tigers that he kills, it could not be better titled than “The
Tiger King”.
4. Irony
and Satire in ‘The Tiger King’ or comment on the dramatic irony in “The tiger
King”.
Ans.‘The
Tiger King’ is replete with irony that reveals the follies of autocratic and wilful
rulers who flout all laws and bend them to suit their selfish interests.
The dramatic irony in the story is sharp when the Tiger King alone is
unaware that his bullet had not killed the hundredth tiger. The other
characters and the readers anticipate his doom as he celebrates his triumph over
his destiny. We realize how misplaced the King’s pride at killing the first
tiger was. The astrologers had prophesied, “You may kill ninety nine tigers
like this, but your death will be brought on by the hundredth tiger.” The King
wanted to prove the astrologer wrong and to save his life. Ironically, to avert
death he actually invites it. The lofty titles used to introduce the Tiger
King, suggesting an invincible ferocity are indeed ironic for he is finally
killed by a cheap, crudely made wooden toy tiger which became the tool of
Nature’s revenge. He had killed a hundred tigers in vain and must be punished
for it. Irony is indeed sharp when the surgeons announce the operation
successful and declare the king dead.
5.
What are the instances of satire?
Ans. Satire
employs irony, sarcasm, and ridicule etc. In exposing and criticizing follies
and vices in men. The story uses humour to criticize self-seeking Kings who wilfully
exploit both nature and their subjects for selfish interests.
a) When the Maharaja of Pratibandhpuram was told
that he would be killed by a tiger, he could never imagine the twist in fate
where a toy tiger could be fatal. Because of his conceit, he was unprepared for
such surprises flung by life at him.
b) The grandeur associated with a king’s life
proves a mockery. The news of the king’s ailment invited not one, but three
surgeons. They got so tied up in technicalities that they declared the
operation successful even though the king died.
c) The story also satirizes the corrupting
influence of power. Just because the Tiger King had power, he felt he could
browbeat his subjects and even defeat fate. He neglected his responsibility as
a ruler. He neglected the welfare of his subjects, his family, increased
and reduced taxes at will and sacked his officers. They feared him or else he
would have learnt the truth.
d) When we see the king gloating over his bravery
after killing the hundredth old, weak tiger, we notice that Kalki is
satirizing the notions of cowardice and bravery. There is no heroism in
fighting an unequal battle. The King’s cowardice was obvious when he justifies
that one may kill even a cow in self defense.
e) Kalki is also criticizing the King’s men and
subjects who pander to his whims out of fear or like the shopkeeper manipulate
and fool him.
6. What
is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the
wilfulness of human beings?
Ans. Through
this satirical story the author has rightly portrayed how human beings have
subjected innocent animals to untold torture and death, merely to fulfill their
own whims and fancies. The maharaja’s indiscriminate killing of tigers led to
their extinction in some states, but the maharaja was oblivious to the grave
consequences his action was leading to. In order to prove an astrologer wrong
the maharaja went on a killing spree proving his dominance over the hapless
animals.
7. How
would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you
find them truly sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey
him? Do we find a similarity in today’s political order?
Ans. Maharaja’s
minions were subservient and sycophantic. Most of them were scared of Maharaja
and tried to keep him in good humour by obeying his orders. They did not dare
to disobey him as his displeasure could mean loss of their job or even loss of
their lives.
The
astrologer was afraid of predicting his death, till Maharaja told him to “speak
without fear”. Dewan who should have advised the king not to kill the tigers
did not dare to go against his wishes and aided his marriage to a princess
whose father’s kingdom possessed a large number of tigers. Being afraid of
losing his job, he presented an old tiger to satisfy the whims of his Maharaja.
Likewise, the hunters chose not to inform him of the survival of the
100th tiger and instead killed it themselves fearing that they might lose
their jobs. Even the shopkeeper, who sold the king a cheap wooden toy tiger,
quoted a higher price lest he should be punished under the rules of emergency.
So, it is
evident that the king’s minions were driven by fear rather than any feelings of
sincerity towards their ruler.
Today’s
political order is no different— we know too well that many of the people in
power are not there because of their ability but because of their influence and
power. Moreover, others pander to them for their own vested interests rather
than for the good of the country.
8.
Why do you think, the author goes into detailed
identification of the Tiger King through a variety of titles? Does he really
mean to humour him?
Ans. Kalki,
the author of the story, has no intention of praising the king. In fact, immediately after addressing him with
a variety of titles, he brings an anti-climax by telling his readers that his
name is shortened to “Tiger King “.
9.
How did the Maharaja manage to save his
throne?
Ans. The
Maharaja had annoyed the visiting senior British officer over the issue
of tiger-hunting and ‘stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself’.
So, the Maharaja and the Dewan decided to placate and pacify the officer
through bribe by sending gifts of expensive diamond rings to the
‘duraisani”, the wife of the British officer. Thus he managed to save his
throne.
10. How did the
‘duraisani’ behave on receiving the gifts?
Ans. Some
fifty samples of expensive diamond rings were sent to the duraisani and it was
expected that she would select on or two and return the rest. But the lady
proved to be greedy as she retained all of them and merely sent a letter of
thanks.
11. How was the
Tiger King brought up?
Ans. As a
child the Tiger King was brought up by an English nanny and tutored in
English by an Englishman. He was given the milk of an English cow. Like many
other Indian crown princes he watched only English movies.
12. What did the
State astrologer say he would do ‘if the hundredth tiger were also
killed’?
Ans. The
State astrologer was so sure of his prediction that he announced that he would
cut off his ceremonial tuft, crop his hair short and become an insurance agent
in case the king was able to kill the 100th tiger, too. He was sure that the
Maharaja’s death would be caused by the 100th tiger.
13. What did the
high-ranking British officer wish to do? Was his wish fulfilled?
Ans. The
high-ranking British officer wanted to kill a tiger. When he was denied
the permission for hunting, he sent a word to the king that he would
be happy if he was allowed to get photographed with the dead body of a
tiger killed by the king. However, his wish remained unfulfilled.
14. How did the
tiger king acquire his name? (2009)
Ans. The
Tiger King was Maharaja of Pratibandapuram. He came to be known as tiger king
as at his birth it was predicted by the royal astrologer that he would be
killed by a tiger .And to disprove this prediction he started killing the
tigers indiscriminately and killed 99 tigers. Moreover, he was ferocious like a
tiger.
15. What do you
understand by “threat of a Stuka bomber”?
Ans. Stuka
Bomber was a German ground attack aircraft which was known for its high
accuracy in hitting its target and terrorizing sound it emitted.
Through the
reference of Stuka Bomber , the author wants to convey that he intends to tell
why Maharaja of Pratibandapuram came to be known as Tiger King and nothing ,not
even horrifying Stuka Bomber could compel him to digress from the topic.
16. What was the
miracle that took place in the royal palace?
Ans. When
the Maharaja was a 10 day old infant, he spoke and asked intelligent questions
about his death. After knowing that he would be killed by a tiger he uttered
saying “Let tigers beware.”
17. What predictions
did the astrologers make at the birth of the tiger king?
Ans: The
astrologers predicted that the newly born prince will grow up to become the
hero of heroes, brave of the bravest and a great warrior. He also predicted
that the baby was born in the hour of the bull. The bull and tiger were
enemies. Therefore, he would die because of the tiger
18. What
justification did the tiger king give before he started out on tiger hunt?
Ans. He believes
in the saying ‘You may kill a cow in self-defence’. So, he had no objection in
killing tigers in self-defence.
19. How did the
Maharaja manage to save his throne?
Ans. The
Maharaja had annoyed the visiting senior British officer over the issue of
tiger-hunting and ‘stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself’. So, the
Maharaja and the Dewan decided to placate and pacify the officer through bribe
by sending gifts of expensive diamond rings to the ‘duraisani”, the wife of the
British officer. Thus he managed to save his throne.
20. What
unforeseen hurdle brought the tiger hunt to a standstill?
Ans. Within
ten years Maharaja’s tiger hunting had resulted in the killing of seventy
tigers. However his tiger killing mission came to a sudden standstill because
the tiger population became extinct in the forest of Pratibandapuram.
21. Why did the
Maharaja suddenly decide to marry? Whom did he wish to marry?
Ans. The
Maharaja suddenly decided to marry because firstly, he was of marriageable age
and secondly, he wanted to kill thirty more tigers in his father-in-law’s state
in order to complete the tally of hundred tigers .For this reason he wished to
marry a girl in the royal family of a state with a large tiger population.
22. Why did
Maharaja order the dewan to double the tax?
Ans. The
Maharaja called the dewan and ordered him to immediately double the tax of the
villagers who had informed him of a tiger in the forest because despite his
best efforts he was unable to locate the beast. This infuriated the Maharaja.
23. Why did the
Dewan decide to give up his own tiger to be killed by the Maharaja?
Ans.The
dewan had hidden in his house an old tiger which had been brought from the
People’s Park in Madras. He feared that if the Maharaja did not get a tiger to
hunt, the result would be catastrophic and he would lose his job.
24. What was
Dewan’s tiger like? How did he take it into the forest?
Ans. The
tiger was weak, senile. Dewan arranged the tiger from the People’s Park.
At midnight he
dragged the tiger and shoved him into the car, went to the forest, hauled the
beast out of the car, and pushed him to the ground near Maharaja’s camp.
25. How the
100th tiger was finally found & killed?
Ans. The
Dewan took the 100th tiger which he had brought from people’s park in
Madras. The tiger wondered into Maharaja’s presence. The king shot it but it
was not killed; the hunters killed to escape from king’s anger.
26. Why was the
Maharaja overcome with elation when he thought he had killed the hundredth
tiger?
Ans. The
Maharaja was overcome with elation on having killed the hundredth tiger because
his vow had been fulfilled. By killing the hundredth tiger, he thought the
prophecy about his death had been disproved. On his command , the dead body of
the hundredth tiger was taken in grand a procession through the town and buried
. A tomb was erected over it.
27. What did the
Maharaja buy as a birthday gift for his son?
Ans. The
Maharaja wished to give his son a very special gift on his birthday and he
bought a wooden toy tiger as a perfect birthday gift for his son.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
28. How did the
Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his death?
Ans. The
wooden toy tiger the king had got as a birthday present for his son had been
carved by an unskilled carpenter. It had a rough surface with tiny slivers of
wood standing up like quills all over it. One of those slivers pierced the
Maharaja’s right hand and although the king pulled it, his arm got infected. In
four days, it developed into a suppurating sore and spread all over the arm.
The king died while being operated upon.
The king’s
death is ironical but not surprising for the reader who is, in fact, looking
forward to it. Having ‘killed’ the 100th tiger, the king is jubilant for
he has fulfilled his vow and disproved the prediction of the royal astrologer.
He is now at ease for he thinks he cannot die of a tiger’s attack. No wonder,
he orders the ‘dead’ tiger to be taken in a procession through the town and
gets a tomb erected over it. All this while he does not know that the
100th victim was not killed by him but by other hunters. That is indeed
quite ironical. Death is lurking around him and the king is unaware of it.
Again, it is ironical that a king who has killed 99 tigers and is bold and
fearless dies of a mere ‘sliver’ on the body of a wooden tiger. Thus,
ironically death does come to him from a tiger.
29. “The operation is successful.
The maharaja is dead.” Comment on the irony of the situation.
Ans.The
three famous surgeons were called from Madras to treat the Maharaja. The
whole incident is a satire on the life of rich and people in power. Everything
in their life should be grand be it a disease, purchases or treatment. So when
the Maharaja got hurt by a wooden splinter, specialist from Madras
was called. The surgeons discussed and debated for some time and decided to
operate. At the end of the operation they said
the operation was successful but the Maharaja was dead. As
if the procedure was important to them but life had no meaning for them. The
job of doctors is to save people and not highlight the technicalities of the
treatment. But here it was just that, poor Maharaja was relegated to
a nonentity whose life was not of much consequences to them.
30. The Tiger
King’ can be seen as Kalki’s comment on the British influence on the feudal
lords and the reason for their alienation from their own culture and people. Discuss.
Ans. The
Tiger King comes across as a person who was given to understand that everything
belonging to the English was worth emulating and everything Indian was useless.
It was so much that the milk given to the young prince was from an English cow.
He was brought up by an English nanny, tutored in English by an Englishman and
if he ever saw movies they were English films. This lifestyle was not peculiar
to the king’s family alone but it was the case of most of the feudal lords all
over India. This resulted in the lopsided development of these rulers and was
the main cause of their alienation from their culture, environmental needs of
their kingdom. In their attempts to please the Britishers they had different
set of norms for their own subjects. Hence, where compassion was required they
showed ruthlessness and brutality.
31.
What
was ironical about the wooden tiger? What he considered the most befitting gift
for his son cost merely two annas and a quarter.
Ans.
Unlike the majestic tigers the king fought with his bare hands, it was a crude
toy made by an unskilled craftsman, with tiny slivers sticking out of it A
sliver from this wooden tiger pierced the King’s hand, which led to an
infection that killed the king.
32.
Mention
any two unforeseen hurdles the tiger king encountered in the fulfilment of his
mission. How did he overcome them?
Ans.
The tiger population in Pratibandapuram had become extinct so he got married to
the daughter of the neighbouring kingdom with the largest tiger population; his
refusing permission to a high ranking British officer to hunt tigers in
Pratibandhpuram or even be photographed with a dead tiger put his kingdom
at stake, but he pacified the Durai by sending some fifty expensive diamond
rings to his wife for which he emptied the royal treasury.
