The Tiger King
1. The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author employ the literary device of dramatic irony in the story?
A.The king was full of pride. He thought he could achieve anything, even overpower death. He tried to prove the predictions of the royal astrologer as false. He had predicted death for the king by a tiger. As the king killed one, he cautioned him against the hundredth tiger that he came across.
Ironically, the king killed the hundredth tiger also and overpowered death but as it was destined to be, the tiger escaped the bullet miraculously. He had killed ferocious tigers of flesh and blood but his satirical death came by a wooden toy tiger which he had got as a birthday gift for his son. A tiny piece of wood from the toy wounded the tiger king’s hand and finally killed him. This was an unexpected end of the mighty maharaja ‘the tiger king’.
2. What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
A. The author is indicating that the king being mighty, killed so many innocent animals merely to prove the astrologer wrong or to overcome his fear without realizing the severity of his actions. He did not accept destiny which has its own ways as death struck upon him by a lifeless, wooden tiger.
3. How would you describe the behavior 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?
A. The king’s minions feared him and tried to please him. They wanted to keep him happy and so, spoke what was pleasing to the king’s ears.
The astrologer was initially reluctant to predict the king’s future. It was when the king asked him ‘to speak without fear’ that he spoke.
The minister did not advise the king not to kill so many innocent animals; rather he searched for a kingdom with a high population of tigers for the king to kill.
The royal hunters did not inform the king about the hundredth tiger being alive as they feared losing their job.
The shopkeeper sold the toy tiger to the king at a high price because he feared punishment.
In today’s political order also, we can see that the people who are in subordination try to please their seniors in order to retain their positions.
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