Question

Read through the poem and quickly make a note of any thoughts that come to you, while you are reading it.

Dispute 
A man and a tiger once had a dispute, 
Which was reckoned greater, the man or the brute. 
The tiger discoursed on his side at some length, 
And greatly enlarged on his courage and strength, 
Said the man, 'Don't be prating; look yonder, I pray, 
At that sculpture of marble: now what will you say? 
The tiger is vanquished; but as for the man, 
He is striding upon him: deny if you can.' 
'But pray,' said the tiger, 'Who sculptured that stone? 
'One of us,' said the man. 'I must candidly own.' 
'But when we are sculptors,' the other replied, 
'You will then on the man see the tiger astride.' 
                                              Anonymous 

Answer 1

This poem is about an imaginary debate between a tiger and a man. They are debating about who is stronger between them. The man says that he is all powerful because man can control any animal. The tiger in the reply says that if he takes control, he will be too hot to,handle for the man. The poet has used interesting analogy of a sculptor to depict the master and the subject in this poem.