Discuss the
following questions in detail and write the answers in your
notebooks:
(a) Do you
think the tiger shooting organized by the villagers was a serious
affair?
Give
reasons for your answer.
(b) Do you think the writer is trying to
make fun of the main characters in the story i.e. Mrs. Packletide,
Miss Mebbin and Loona Bimberton? Pick out instances from the story
that point to this fact.
(c) A person who is vain is full of self
importance and can only think of himself/herself and can go to
great lengths to prove his/her superiority. Do you think Mrs
Packletide is vain? Give reasons in support of your answer.
(d) Sometimes writers highlight certain
negative aspects in society or human beings by making fun of it. This
is called satire. In your groups discuss whether you would classify
this story as a satire. Give reasons to support your answer
(e) How does
the writer create humor in this story?
Discuss the following questions in detail and write the answers in your notebooks:
(a) Do you think the tiger shooting organized by the villagers was a serious affair?
Give reasons for your answer.
(b) Do you think the writer is trying to make fun of the main characters in the story i.e. Mrs. Packletide, Miss Mebbin and Loona Bimberton? Pick out instances from the story that point to this fact.
(c) A person who is vain is full of self importance and can only think of himself/herself and can go to great lengths to prove his/her superiority. Do you think Mrs Packletide is vain? Give reasons in support of your answer.
(d) Sometimes writers highlight certain negative aspects in society or human beings by making fun of it. This is called satire. In your groups discuss whether you would classify this story as a satire. Give reasons to support your answer
(e) How does the writer create humor in this story?
(a) The tiger shooting organised by the
villagers was a serious affair. They were very keen to earn their
thousand rupees. They posted children at the outskirts of the jungle
to keep a watch on the tiger in case he wanders off to new hunting
grounds. Goats were scattered to keep him satisfied and to prevent
him from straying. Mothers with the babies walked quietly through the
jungle so as to not to disturb its sleep. The villagers had only one
worry that the tiger should not die of old age before the day of
shoot.
(b) Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger is
a humourous story. The author makes fun of almost all the characters.
He satirizes Mrs.Packletide’s obsession with killing a tiger so
as to show off in front of Loona Bimberton. He makes fun of Louisa
Mebbin’s materialistic nature. She was very particular about
how every penny was spent. He makes fun of Loona Bimberton who
refused to attend Mrs. Packletide’s luncheon party because she
was jealous of her achievements.
(c) The story begins with Mrs. Packletide’s
obsession to procure a tiger skin so that she can show it off to
Loona Bimberton. To obtain the tiger skin Mrs.Packletide goes to
extreme lengths; she offers a thousand rupees to the villagers to
shoot a tiger without much risk or exertion. She acquires a paid
companion, Louisa Mebbin, a witness to her extraordinary feat. She
makes sure her pictures appear in international newspapers. Finally,
she buys a weekend cottage for Louisa Mebbin to prevent her from
telling anybody that it was not the tiger but a goat she had shot
because the tiger merely died of a heart attack. All this proves that
Mrs. Packletide was a vain woman.
(d) This story is definitely a satire. The
author not only makes fun of the situation but also of the
characters. Mrs. Packeltide’s actions were largely directed by
dislike of Loona Bimberton. The motive behind tiger hunt was to show
off to her. Loona Bimberton did not look at Mrs. Packletide’s
pictures in the newspapers. Her letter of thanks for the tiger-claw
brooch was a model of repressed emotions. She declined to attend the
luncheon party because she wouldn’t be able to see people
praising Mrs. Packletide. Both Louisa Mebbin and the villagers are
only concerned about their remuneration. Louisa Mebbin even
blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her a cottage. The villagers
happily believed that Mrs. Packletide had shot the tiger and not the
goat lest they lose their fee. The whole situation of the tiger hunt
is also laced with satire. An old tiger who had given up hunting was
chosen for the purpose. The tiger dies of a heart-failure than a gun
shot. The author paints a picture of a society that is essentially
governed by wealth and mutual dislike for each other.
(e) The author makes fun of each character
and situation. The characters of Loona Bimberton, Mrs. Packletide,
Louisa Mebbin and the villagers are all ridiculed for their peculiar
character traits.The tiger hunt is mocked a; an old, infirm tiger is
chosen for the hunt making it the least dangerous expedition. The
power of money is so strong that the villagers agree that it was not
a goat but a tiger that was shot. Louisa Mebbin agrees to keep this a
secret in return of money. Thus the author creates humour in the
story by highlighting the negative aspects in society or human
beings.
(a) The tiger shooting organised by the villagers was a serious affair. They were very keen to earn their thousand rupees. They posted children at the outskirts of the jungle to keep a watch on the tiger in case he wanders off to new hunting grounds. Goats were scattered to keep him satisfied and to prevent him from straying. Mothers with the babies walked quietly through the jungle so as to not to disturb its sleep. The villagers had only one worry that the tiger should not die of old age before the day of shoot.
(b) Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger is a humourous story. The author makes fun of almost all the characters. He satirizes Mrs.Packletide’s obsession with killing a tiger so as to show off in front of Loona Bimberton. He makes fun of Louisa Mebbin’s materialistic nature. She was very particular about how every penny was spent. He makes fun of Loona Bimberton who refused to attend Mrs. Packletide’s luncheon party because she was jealous of her achievements.
(c) The story begins with Mrs. Packletide’s obsession to procure a tiger skin so that she can show it off to Loona Bimberton. To obtain the tiger skin Mrs.Packletide goes to extreme lengths; she offers a thousand rupees to the villagers to shoot a tiger without much risk or exertion. She acquires a paid companion, Louisa Mebbin, a witness to her extraordinary feat. She makes sure her pictures appear in international newspapers. Finally, she buys a weekend cottage for Louisa Mebbin to prevent her from telling anybody that it was not the tiger but a goat she had shot because the tiger merely died of a heart attack. All this proves that Mrs. Packletide was a vain woman.
(d) This story is definitely a satire. The author not only makes fun of the situation but also of the characters. Mrs. Packeltide’s actions were largely directed by dislike of Loona Bimberton. The motive behind tiger hunt was to show off to her. Loona Bimberton did not look at Mrs. Packletide’s pictures in the newspapers. Her letter of thanks for the tiger-claw brooch was a model of repressed emotions. She declined to attend the luncheon party because she wouldn’t be able to see people praising Mrs. Packletide. Both Louisa Mebbin and the villagers are only concerned about their remuneration. Louisa Mebbin even blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her a cottage. The villagers happily believed that Mrs. Packletide had shot the tiger and not the goat lest they lose their fee. The whole situation of the tiger hunt is also laced with satire. An old tiger who had given up hunting was chosen for the purpose. The tiger dies of a heart-failure than a gun shot. The author paints a picture of a society that is essentially governed by wealth and mutual dislike for each other.
(e) The author makes fun of each character and situation. The characters of Loona Bimberton, Mrs. Packletide, Louisa Mebbin and the villagers are all ridiculed for their peculiar character traits.The tiger hunt is mocked a; an old, infirm tiger is chosen for the hunt making it the least dangerous expedition. The power of money is so strong that the villagers agree that it was not a goat but a tiger that was shot. Louisa Mebbin agrees to keep this a secret in return of money. Thus the author creates humour in the story by highlighting the negative aspects in society or human beings.
