The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves
by Gwendolyn Brooks
There once was a tiger, terrible and tough,
who said “I don’t think tigers are stylish enough.
They put on only orange and stripes of fierce black.
Fine and fancy fashion is what they mostly lack.
Even though they proudly
speak most loudly,
so that the jungle shakes
and every eye awakes—
Even though they slither
hither and thither
in such a wild way
that few may care to stay—
to be tough just isn’t enough.”
These things the tiger said,
And growled and tossed his head,
and rushed to the jungle fair
for something fine to wear.Then!—what a hoot and yell
upon the jungle fell
The rhinoceros rasped!
The elephant gasped!
“By all that’s sainted!”
said wolf—and fainted.The crocodile cried.
The lion sighed.
The leopard sneered.
The jaguar jeered.
The antelope shouted.
The panther pouted.
Everyone screamed
“We never dreamed
that ever could be
in history
a tiger who loves
to wear white gloves.
White gloves are for girls
with manners and curls
and dresses and hats and bow-ribbons.
That’s the way it always was
and rightly so, because
it’s nature’s nice decree
that tiger folk should be
not dainty, but daring,
and wisely wearing
what’s fierce as the face,
not whiteness and lace!”They shamed him and shamed him—
till none could have blamed him,
when at last, with a sigh
and a saddened eye,
and in spite of his love,
he took off each glove,
and agreed this was meant
all to prevail:
each tiger content
with his lashing tail
and satisfied
with his strong striped hide.
Summary of The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves
- Popularity of “The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves”: This poem “The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves” by Gwendolyn Brooks, an African American teacher, poet, and writer, is a bewitching and seductive poem. It first appeared in 1974, yet it won popularity among school children merely because of its presentation of the reality of nature and the natural desires of living things. Although the poet has beautifully presented the case of a tiger, actually this is a message to the power echelon that has not lost its effectiveness. In this message lies the beauty and popularity of the poem.
- “The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves” As a Representative of Reality in Nature and Nature of Desire: The speaker of the poem is an anonymous third person who presents a tiger wishing to wear white gloves. The presentation of the reality of the wild forest, the description of the tiger, its nature, and its desire show that the poet is well-versed in the natural description. When the tiger suggests having white gloves for his hands, almost all the animals express their surprise in their own voices. The speaker presents those voices as if the animals are scoffing at this idea of the tiger. Therefore, they express dislike or hatred for this suggestion of the tiger, which seems out of nature. However, when the tiger comes to know that every other animal is showing dislike for it because only girls love white gloves and white gloves suit them, he also leaves this idea and becomes satisfied with what he has. It means that although the reality of nature seems different, it is also queer to desire something that suits others.
- Major Themes in “The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves”: Peer pressure, the reality of nature, and the nature of desire are three major thematic strands of the poem. The poet presents the peer pressure through different voices of the animals expressing dislike for the choice of the tiger that seems odd with his living and lifestyle in the wild forest. The reality of nature has been presented through his striped hide that is natural for him, selected on the basis of his lifestyle and environment. The poet has shown the nature of desire through the tiger, who seems not to have understood the reality of white gloves. He just expresses his desire to look different from other animals. However, when the animals scoff at the idea of having white gloves, he acquiesces to their choice and stays as he is.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves
Gwendolyn Brooks has used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “Fine and fancy fashion is what they mostly lack” and the sound of /o/ in “Speak most loudly.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /f / in “fancy fashion”, or /th/ in “these things” or, /c/ in “crocodile cried” and so on.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /w/ in “That’s the way it always was” and the sound of /f / in “what’s fierce as the face.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
each tiger content
with his lashing tail
and satisfied
with his strong striped hide.
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The irony in this poem is that a tiger expresses his desire for a thing that is unsuitable or unnatural for him.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Gwendolyn Brooks has used imagery in this poem such as “The crocodile cried”, “The lion signed” and “The leopard sneered.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used the metaphor of a tiger to show that human beings sometimes express unnatural and queer desires and succumb to peer pressure when they have the power to do so.
- Onomatopoeia: It means to show sounds through different words syncing with the relevant sound, such as jaguar jeered, panther pouted, and rhinoceros rasped, given in the poem.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols like white gloves to show the strange desires of the powerful people.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: It means the use of language and tone. The poem shows highly simple language and an ironic and funny tone.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Gwendolyn Brooks has used end rhyme in this poem, such as tough/enough, black/lack, proudly/loudly, and so on.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem, with each comprising a different number of verses.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are to quote when teaching about sound devices and animal behavior in a fun imaginary way.
The crocodile cried.
The lion sighed.
The leopard sneered.
The jaguar jeered.
The antelope shouted.
The panther pouted.
Everyone screamed
“We never dreamed
that ever could be
in history
a tiger who loves
to wear white gloves.
