The Tiger Smiled by Jim Corbett Prepared by Kaushal Desai
Prof. Kaushal Desai
kaushaldesai123@gmail.com
http://desaikaushal1315.blogspot.com
Go for PowerPoint Presentation: Analysis: "The Tiger Smiled" by Jim Corbett
Go for PowerPoint Presentation: Analysis: "The Tiger Smiled" by Jim Corbett
o
About Author:
James Edward "Jim"
'Corbett (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was a
British-Indian hunter and tracker-turned-conservationist,
author and naturalist, who hunted a large number
of man-eating tigers and leopards in India.
Other famous works:
- Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944)
- Jungle Stories, Privately published in (1935)
- The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. (1947)
Jim
Corbett National Park, which is a part of the larger
Corbett Tiger Reserve, a Project Tiger Reserve lies in the Nainital district of
Uttarakhand.
He
was Hunting man-eating tigers and leopards. Corbett tracked and
shot a number of leopards and tigers, though only about a dozen were actually
well documented man-eaters. Corbett provided estimates of human casualties in
his books, including Man-Eaters of Kumaon, The
Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, and The Temple Tiger, and More
Man-Eaters of Kumaon.
• Hunter
turned conservationist: He guided by Frederick
Walter Champion, started to record tigers on cine film. His intimate
knowledge of the jungle, it was a demanding task to obtain good pictures, as
the animals were exceedingly shy.
• Hollywood
movie & Other adaptations: In
1948, in the wake of Man-Eaters of Kumaon's success, a Hollywood
film, Man-Eater of Kumaon, was made, directed by Byron
Haskin and starring Sabu, Wendell Corey and Joe Page. The
film did not follow any of Corbett's stories; a new story was invented. The
film was a flop, although some interesting footage of the tiger was filmed.
Corbett is known to have said that "the best actor was the tiger“.
In
1986, the BBC produced a docudrama titled Man-Eaters of India with Frederick
Treves in the role of Jim Corbett. An IMAX movie India:
Kingdom of the Tiger, based on Corbett's books, was made in 2002
starring Christopher Heyerdahl as Corbett. A TV movie based on The
Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag starring Jason Flemyng was
made in 2005.
v Themes of the story “The Tiger
Smiled”
v Summary of “The Tiger Smiled”
Here
an attempt is made to bring into focus the wild life. Jim Corbett nicely
describe the story of how tiger, actually tigress got shoot. The story also explains that how hard it was
to shoot this man eater. With the very crucial circumstances man killed tigress
and man others relief.
One
person who narrates this story (Jim Corbett) that how the situation is going on
in the surroundings while he and other two men who following him and going
through undergrowth and ravine path to go further. The ravine was about ten
yards wide and four or five feet deep. Narrator speaks that on ravine he looked
at the spot from which bird had risen and as he don’t have anything to keep
eggs so he done cupping the left hand to hold the eggs.
He
also now describes that how hard it was to track on the hill ravines that
rushes water flow, as it was also crucial to take steep to offer a foothold. By
handing the rifle to the men he slides down and observed the situation. Somehow
further the men heard growling and it may be tigers’ but it is obvious that
tigers do not betray their dinner.
After
they left from open ground, the tigress followed them. Slowly he going down the
ravine so she (tigress) don’t get see him and after that she didn’t find him so
she did slowly grow and left so that also shows that tigress give no interest
from the other two men. After that he slowly stepped clear of giant slate and
looked behind his right shoulder and looked straight into the tigress’ face. Then
he glissaded down says her fore-paws stretched out and her hind legs well
tucked under her with that he also noticed that her head was raised a few
inches off her paws, was eight feet from him.
Two
thoughts were in his mind…One that he can make his
first move…And second, he move in such a way that he give no alarm the
tigress or make her nervous.
But
the problem was…How to trigger that tigress?, as
the rifle was in his right hand held diagonally across his chest and in order
to get it to bear on the tigress the muzzle would have to be swung round
three-quarters of circle. It is hard to move rifle with one hand but somehow he
manages it. And after that he triggered the tigress but it might get more sure
that triggered bullet goes direct to tigress or what. But it comes like
nightmare that is it discharge the fact, and she survives. But after sometime
it is noticed that the bullet goes damaged, as she moves, her outstretched paws
and at the same time blood issued from the bullet hole. The bullet had injured
her spine and shattered the upper portion of her heart.
It
was Chowgarh tigress I…Matho Singh helped him to move his
toes and told to drop the eggs so he can fire it with a perfect way and noticed
that it was Chowgarh tigress I who sent to the happy Hunting Grounds, where it
observed that her (tigress) threads of sixty-four human lives—the people of the
district put the number at twice the figure-had, while the game was in her
hands, turned, and cut the thread of her own life.
Three
things were really in his disadvantage but goes in his favor….
a) The
eggs in his left hand
b) The
rifle he was carrying
c) The
tiger being a man-eater
He
targets right upon it while difficulties are there with him. The rifle was not
that light and taken it by one arm gives still pain to him. After that men made
a detour and went up the hill to free the buffalo and secure the rope, which
was needed and for pleasant purpose.
What
happed to eggs which were with him?? He placed eggs to
rightful owner on the rock that did duty as a nest, and when he passed that way
half an hour later, they had vanished under the brooding mother whose coloring
so exactly matched the mottled rock that it was difficult for him to know this
power of nature and motherhood.
And
lastly…
“if
the tiger had been just an ordinary tiger, and not a man-eater, it would, on
finding itself compered, have made for the opening and wiped me out of the way,
and to be wiped out of the way by tiger usually has fatal results.”
Comments
Post a Comment