POEM: 6
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Adrienne
Rich
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INTERPRETATION
& ANALYSIS
The
poem addresses the constraints of married life, a woman experiences. In this
patriarchal society woman has always played the second fiddle. Men have
always treated them high-handedly. In this free world they always remain
bound and oppressed.
Aunt
Jennifer is making tigers on a panel. They appear to be moving about in a
jumping manner. They are yellowish brown like a topaz and they live in the
green world of forest just as women live in the four walls of a house. But
there are more of dissimilarities. Unlike women, the tigers are not afraid of
men. They move about in an elegant and brave manner, full of certainty. But
women do not enjoy these pleasures.
Aunt
Jennifer’s fingers quiver when she works on the panel and she finds it hard
to pull out even the ivory needle. It’s the fear of the society that she is
afraid to express her desire even in the form of art. It is because of the
rituals and responsibilities of the wedded life. Marriage puts an end to all
the desires and dreams of women and they remain bound within the limits of a
house and family.
The
poet says that perhaps even death won’t be able to free her from all the
difficult experiences she underwent all through her married life. Her ringed
hands will be a proof of all the rings, she was bound with viz. the ring of
husbands domination, the ring of rituals and responsibilities of a wedded
life and the ring of society. Perhaps, aunt Jennifer won’t be able to realize
her dreams but the tigers on the panel will go on conveying her message to
the society that women also desire a life like those of tigers- prancing,
proud and fearless.
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GLOSSARY
Topaz - A yellowish brown gemstone
Denizens - Inhabitant, Resident
Pace - Stride, Walk
Chivalric - Brave, Courageous
Ordeals - Hardship, Difficult experience
Sleek - Elegant, Stylish
Prance - Strut, To walk in a lively fashion
Aunt
Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
1. What are aunt Jennifer’s tigers doing?
Ans: They
are prancing across the screen.
2. What does the use of ‘topaz’ signify?
Ans: ‘Topaz’
is a stone which is of yellowish brown colour and tigers are of the same
colour.
3. Who do not fear the men beneath the
tree? Why?
Ans: The
tigers do not fear the men beneath the tree because they are fearless
creatures.
Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering
through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to
pull
The massive weight of uncle’s
wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s
hand.
1. Why do aunt Jennifer’s fingers flutter?
Ans: Aunt
Jennifer’s fingers flutter because she is afraid of the society and people that
how they would react to the expression of her desires in the form of tigers.
2. Why
does she find the ivory needle hard to pull?
Ans: It
is not the physical weakness rather mental weakness. She is afraid that her
expression in the form of tigers will be negatively reacted by the people.
3. What
is the wedding band suggestive of?
Ans: The
wedding band is suggestive of male dominated wedded life. Aunt Jennifer had to
undergo a very pitiable oppressive life after her marriage.
When aunt is dead, her terrified
hands will lie
Still ringed with the ordeals she
was mastered by
The tigers in the panel that she
made
Will go on prancing, proud and
unafraid.
1. What does ordeal here refer to?
Ans: Ordeal
here refers to the torturous and oppressive life she had to undergo after her
marriage.
2. Why
will her hands be ringed even after her death?
Ans: Her
hands will be ringed even after her death because there are rituals to be
performed even after death. A woman is not free even after her death.
3. What
will happen to the tigers after her death?
Ans: The
tigers will go on conveying her message to the society that women also want a
life like those of tigers- fearless, brave, full of certainty, pride and
elegance.
SHORT
ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. What
are aunt Jennifer’s tigers doing? What does the word ‘denizen’ imply?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s
tigers are jumping on the panel. The word ‘denizen’ means residents of a
particular area.
2. What
is the similarity between aunt Jennifer and the tigers?
Ans: Both of them
have a specific habitat. The tigers live in the forest and women live in the
four walls of a house.
3. What
is the difference between the tigers and aunt Jennifer?
Ans: The tigers do
not fear men; they move about in an elegant manner; they are brave and there is
certainty in their lives whereas women are afraid of men and society and they
do not enjoy the pleasure of certainty as they are not the decision-makers nor
are they involved in the decision making process.
4. Why
does aunt Jennifer’s fingers flutter?
OR
Why
does aunt Jennifer find even the ivory needle hard to pull?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s
fingers flutter because she is afraid to express her desire of free and fearful
life like those of tigers. She fears the criticism of the society.
5. What does the poet mean by ‘bright topaz
denizens’?
Ans: The
poet compares the tigers with topaz as the topaz is a stone of yellowish brown
colourand the tigers also have the same colour. Moreover, ‘denizens’ mean
residents of a particular area and the tigers are the denizens of forest.
6. “The massive weight of uncle’s wedding
band/ sits heavily upon her hand.” Explain.
Ans: It
says that after marriage a woman’s life undergoes radical changes. She has to
follow certain traditions. Her individuality is curbed and there come lots of
responsibilities upon her.
7. “Her terrified hands will still lie
ringed.” Explain. What can be the possible meanings of ‘ring’?
Ans: The
poet here means that perhaps even death won’t be able to free her from the
bonds. She won’t be able to realize her dreams of freedom through death because
the rituals will still keep her ringed and her terrified hands will tell the
story of her suffering. The possible meanings of ring are- the ring of
husband’s domination, the ring of rituals and traditions and the ring of society.
8. Why
are Aunt Jennifer’s hands called ‘terrified’?
Ans: Aunt
Jennifer has led a much suppressed life and probably has faced a lot of
hardships and difficulties. Her hands are terrified due to the fear she felt in
her life fromher dominating husband, family and the society.
9. What is the theme
of the poem?
Ans: The poem very subtly
brings out the fact of patriarchal dominance in human societies and that women have been so much
oppressed for ages that even the expression of desire in the form of art is fearful.
The image of tiger strongly supports the idea.
10. What do the tigers
embroidered by Aunt Jennifer on the panel signify?
Ans: The tigers on the
panel signify carefreeness, lack of fear and self-assurance as compared to Aunt
Jennifer who is a victim of a male dominated society. The tigers are depicted
in sharp contrast to Aunt’s own predicament.
11. What are the ‘ordeals’ Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by? Why is
it significant that the poet uses the word ‘ringed’? What are the meanings of
the word ‘ringed’ in the poem?
Ans: The ‘ordeals’ that
surround Aunt Jennifer are the hardships and the oppression at the hands of a
male dominated society.
12. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so
different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting through
this difference?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer has
created so different animals to suggest how animals enjoy a carefree and
fearless life where women, despite being human in all rights, do not have those
pleasures. The poet might be suggesting that women also desire pride, freedom,
fearlessness and certainty in their lives.
13. What does the poetess suggest by saying that the tigers that
she has embroidered will forever go on prancing proudly?
Ans: The poetess strongly
feels that even when Aunt Jennifer is no more, her tigers will continue to live
on the panel. The work of art will continue to be an expression of Aunt
Jennifer’s desire of pride, fearlessness and certainty in women’s life.
PREVIOUS YEARS' QUESTIONS
(2017) Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers prance across a
screen
Bright topaz denizens of the world
of green
They do not fear the men beneath
the tree
They pace in sleek chivalric
certainty.
(a) Why are the tigers called aunt
Jennifer’s tigers?
(b) How are they described here?
(c) How are they different from aunt
Jennifer?
(d) What does the word ‘chivalric’ mean?
(2016) What picture of male chauvinism do we
find in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’?
(2015) How are aunt Jennifer’s tigers different
from her?
(2014) How are Aunt Jennifer's
tigers different from her ? [2 Marks]
(2013) What lies heavily on Aunt
Jennifer's hand ? How is it associated with her husband? [2 Marks]
(2012) Why did Aunt Jennifer
choose to embroider tigers on the panel? [2 Marks]
(2010) What will happen Aunt
Jennifer's tigers when she is dead? [2 Marks]
(2009) Why did Aunt Jennifer
choose to embroider tigers on the panel? [2 Marks]
(2008) How does the poet
describe Aunt Jennifer's tigers? [2 Marks]
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