The Jaguar is basically a
description and observation of behaviour of the animals in a zoo. For Hughes
the jaguar is a symbol of an idealist revolutionary, on the other hand the apes
are the powerless human beings. Although they reside in the same zoo, i.e. “The
world”, the difference between these two is remarkable. The Jaguar is confined
in a cage. But as an idealist hero he does not consider himself to be
imprisoned. Because in his thought and action he is free on the other hand the
apes, being very similar to human beings, are observing him from a distant
place. For a person who is free in mind everything is possible. He can never be
dominated. So is true to the Jaguar in the poem.
The Jaguar stands amongst the best of Hughes' symbolic poems. The
poem is basically a description and observation of behaviour of the animals in
a zoo. It compares the apes, parrots, tiger, lion and a boa constrictor to the
jaguar. However, the best comparison has been made between the Jaguar and the
apes. For Hughes the jaguar is a symbol of an idealist revolutionary, on the
other hand the apes are the powerless human beings. Although they reside in the
same zoo, i.e. “The world”, the difference between these two is remarkable.
The Jaguar is
confined in a cage. But as an idealist hero he does not consider himself to be
imprisoned. Because in his thought and action he is free on the other hand the
apes, being very similar to human beings, are observing him from a distant
place. They are timid, not only in their action but in their thought too.
For a person who is
free in mind everything is possible. He can never be dominated. So is true to
the Jaguar in the poem. However, as it is confined in a zoo, it does not consider
the cage his prison. Rather, “As a child, at dream” the Jaguar can find the way
of freedom. Since it does not care this temporary prison of the world, a clear
invocation of an ideal revolutionary's dream and thought is narrated aptly in
the poem.
