The poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers is chapter – 5 in class- 12 Flamingo book . Here summary, explanation, poetic devices and questions answers of Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers is given for better performance in board exam.
About the poet -Adrienne Rich
ADRIENNE RICH (1990-2012) was one of the greatest feminist poet and essayist of 20th century America. She was born on 16 May 1990 in Maryland , United States and died on 27 March 2012 in California , United States. She was a well known for bringing the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of the poetic discourse. She raised the voice for the right of women in male dominated society.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Poem
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.
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
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
The poem ‘ Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers depicts mainly two points –
- Aunt Jennifer’s desires and her dream.
- The real picture of Aunt Jennifer’s life.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Theme
The poem deals with the pathetic condition of married women all over the world. Aunt Jennifer is a symbol of all married women, who are suffering at the oppressive hands of a patriarchal society, male chauvinism where a woman has no liberty.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” is a description of conflict in women, specifically between the impulse to freedom and imagination. Aunt Jennifer wants a life that she embroiders on the panel. She wants a colour full vibrant life which every woman should have the power to create.
the Poem “aunt Jennifer’s tigers” by Adrienne rich is how the power of the patriarchy controls women’s forms but not their minds. the poem makes this point by presenting the wild, interesting, powerful tigers embroidered by aunt Jennifer and contrasting them with aunt Jennifer, the oppressed wife.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Summary
The poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ by Adrienne Rich represents miserable conditions of women in male dominated societies. Aunt Jennifer is symbolised for all those women of the world, who are victims of patriarchy / male dominated society. Such oppressed women are forced to lead pathetic and miserable life. They also have strong desires to live a life of freedom, fearlessness and respect. So they chose some ways to express their desires of freedom, fearlessness and courage and respect.
In this poem, Aunt Jennifer is a married woman who suffers in such male domination. so she chose embroidery i.e. art to express her desires. She is creating tigers on the screen of panel. She made tigers, trees and men on the screen. Her tigers are prancing and jumping across that screen. They are bright in colour like shining yellow topaz. they are denizens / inhabitants of green forests. Tigers created and embroidered by Aunt Jennifer do not fear from the men sitting under the trees. They moves in an elegant way. They are chivalric. Chivalric points to honour, bravery and fearlessness. The tigers occupy their after much struggle and are very possessive about it. They live on their own terms and fear none, as they regard themselves as superior.
Aunt Jennifer is very afraid of her husband. Her hands are trembling through her wool due to the fear of her husband when she is embroidering the tigers on the tapestry with the ivory needle that is very light. She is unable / hard to move the needle. After Aunt Jennifer’s marriage to Uncle, the heavy marriage band that bonded her with her husband sits heavily upon her hand. It means marriage of Aunt Jennifer to the Uncle brought many boundations, restrictions, responsibilities and obligations.Aunt Jennifer is very afraid of her husband.
Her hands are trembling through her wool due to the fear of her husband when she is embroidering the tigers on the tapestry with the ivory needle that is very light. She is unable / hard to move the needle. After Aunt Jennifer’s marriage to Uncle, the heavy marriage band that bonded her with her husband sits heavily upon her hand. It means marriage of Aunt Jennifer to the Uncle brought many boundations, restrictions, responsibilities and obligations.
One day, Aunt Jennifer will die and leave this world. She would be buried into the grave. Her week and terrified hand will still have the same marks of hardships and sufferings experienced by her during her married life. Bad experiences, sufferings and hardships crush her entire married life. She will remain a slave in her grave with bad experiences. The tigers embroidered by her will be alive on the panel after the death of Aunt Jennifer. And they will move proudly and without any fear.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Words & Meanings
| Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers | Desires of freedom, fearlessness and respect |
| Prance | Jump over |
| Topaz | A transparent yellow stone used in jewellery |
| Denizen | Residnets |
| Sleek | Elegant |
| Chivalric | Honourable and brave |
| Certainity | Confidence |
| Fluttering | Moving about , trembling |
| Ivory | Elephant’s teeth |
| Massive | Heavy |
| Band | Wedding ring |
| Terrified | Scared |
| Ringed with | Encircled |
| Ordeal | Difficult and hard experience of married life |
| Mastered | Experienced, controlled |
| Panel | Screen of tapestry |
Explanation-
Stanza -1
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.
In this poem, Aunt Jennifer is a married woman who suffers in such male domination. so she chose embroidery i.e. art to express her desires. She is creating tigers on the screen of panel. She made tigers, trees and men on the screen. Her tigers are prancing and jumping across that screen. They are bright in colour like shining yellow topaz. they are denizens / inhabitants of green forests. Tigers created and embroidered by Aunt Jennifer do not fear from the men sitting under the trees. They moves in an elegant way. They are chivalric. Chivalric points to honour, bravery and fearlessness. The tigers occupy their after much struggle and are very possessive about it. They live on their own terms and fear none, as they regard themselves as superior.
Stanza -2
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
Aunt Jennifer is very afraid of her husband. Her hands are trembling through her wool due to the fear of her husband when she is embroidering the tigers on the tapestry with the ivory needle that is very light. She is unable / hard to move the needle. After Aunt Jennifer’s marriage to Uncle, the heavy marriage band that bonded her with her husband sits heavily upon her hand. It means marriage of Aunt Jennifer to the Uncle brought many boundations, restrictions, responsibilities and obligations.
Stanza -3
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
One day, Aunt Jennifer will die and leave this world. She would be buried into the grave. Her week and terrified hand will still have the same marks of hardships and sufferings experienced by her during her married life. Bad experiences, sufferings and hardships crush her entire married life. She will remain a slave in her grave with bad experiences. The tigers embroidered by her will be alive on the panel after the death of Aunt Jennifer. And they will move proudly and without any fear.
Central Idea of the poem –
In the poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, the poet addresses the constraints of married life experienced by a woman . Aunt Jennifer seems to spend a considerable amount of time embroidering panels which largely featured tigers. The poet uses the metaphor of the tiger to draw a contrast between the constrained life of Aunt Jennifer and the free loves of the tigers that she creates. The inhabitants of the jungles are fearless of the men embroidered on the panel while her life is dictated by the fancies of her husband and the conventions of married life. Her nervous fingers are weighed down by the wedding ring on her finger. This again a metaphor for the binding influences of married life that dictates all her actions.
The past points out that even when she dies her fingers will bear the evidence of the difficulties and emends of a married state. The poet suggests that marriage is a binding force and encircles one and one cannot but act but within its confines. Uncle’s wedding ring sits heavy on aunt Jennifer’s finger which implies that he is an exacting man and aunt Jennifer has to work hard to meet his expectations. It is ironic that she will spend her life in awe of her husband fearful of earning his censure while the tigers she has embroidered on the panel will outlive her confidently proclaiming their freedom. Perhaps he sees her intention in embroidering these fearless beasts and perhaps they are an expression of her secret longing for a life of freedom and confidence.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Important Terms
Aunt Jennifer is different from her tigers –
Aunt Jennifer is an oppressed woman dominated by male superiority, victimized, fearful, indecisive, weak, timid, feeble, shivering in fear, stifled and weighed upon by the marriage, whereas the tigers she weaves are chivalric, confident, fearless, assertive, strong and energetic.Tigers stand for power, strength, freedom and confidence.
Ringed with Ordeals–
Aunt Jennifer represents the oppressed women, dominated by her husband throughout her life. she is surrounded by constraints of married life. she was timid woman and could never stand up to her husband boldly. she remained caged bird and tolerated her sufferings meekly. she was an embodiment of miseries inflicted by the patriarchal society. With the death of one oppressed woman, oppression will not vanish from the face of this earth.
Fluttering through her wool–
Her hands are fluttering probably because she is scared of her husband who could come anytime and scold her for sitting idle and wasting her time doing embroidery. She finds the needle so hard to pull because her fingers are tired of working endlessly all through her life.
Massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band–
Massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’ suggest symbolically, that the bindings and obligations of her marriage are so much that they have put a lot of burden and stress on her.
Tigers after Aunt Jennifer’s Death–
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are piece of art and symbol for confidence, freedom and strength. Art endures beyond human life. it also shows that Aunt Jennifer’s longing for freedom from male domination will endure forever, even after she dies.
Tigers’ for Aunt Jennifer–
Aunt Jennifer is creating tigers, which are a symbol of strength, confidence and fearlessness. these are the qualities that aunt Jennifer lacks in her life. these tigers represents Aunt Jennifer’s suppressed desires to become bold and fearless and free from oppression. the poet wants to suggest that women need to have these qualities to fight against their oppressors.
Ringed–
The ‘ordeals’ are
- Obeying her husband’s orders.
- Fear of men.
- Giving in to his dominance and fulfilling his commands.
‘Ringed’ indicates entrapment. As the ring encircles the finger, similarly, her husband has encircled her in his clutches. Her body and soul are both trapped, struggling for freedom and fearlessness.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Symbols
There are following symbols used in the poem, which are given below :
- Denizens Of A World Of Green’ means inhabitants of the forest.
- chivalric certainty represents the power and virtue with confidence and conviction.
- Tigers stands for power, strength, freedom, confidence, fearlessness and energy.
- ‘Massive Weight Of Uncle’s Wedding Band’ means the burden of marital obligations.
- ‘Sits heavily upon Aunt’ means has laid a lot of stress on her.
- ‘Ringed With Ordeals’ means to get entrapped in hardships and sufferings.
- Aunt Jennifer represents women all over the world wedged under the tyrannical hand of a patriarchal society.
- Aunt Jennifer’s tigers symbolize her dreams and desires of being powerful, fearless, decisive and liberated.
- The wedding band signifies the patriarchal society where the command is defined as masculine.
- Uncle denotes the oppressor.
- Aunt Jennifer’s hands represent the reality of her life.
Poetic Devices –
Symbols– A person, place, thing or event that figuratively represents for some thing else. These are symbols used in the poem-
(a) Uncle, (b) Aunt, (c) Tigers, (d) Wedding band, (e) Aunt Jennifer’s hand
Synecdoche – A part is used to designate the whole or the whole to designate a part
Terrified hands – It denotes that Aunt Jennifer is afraid of Uncle.
Transferred Epithet – A speech in which and adjective is not used with word it qualifies but it is transferred or associated with another words.
Terrified hands – It denotes that Aunt Jennifer is afraid of Uncle.
Alliteration– A sequence of repeated initial sounds usually before stressed syllables.
fingers fluttering’
Imagery – Use of figurative language to evoke a feeling .
’bright topaz denizens in the world of green’,
‘men beneath the
`..wedding band/Sits heavily..’
Pun – The art of using one word having two or more different meanings and each of them befits the situation and creates poetic beauty in the expression.
ringed’:
(a) ring in her finger which sits heavily on her and
(b) difficulties which will always surround her
Irony – A statement that appears to be praise or in really condemnation.
- a weak and submissive woman weaving a picture of tigers that are strong and fearless.
- brutal tigers are depicted chivalric and the cultured man is depicted as an oppressor.
Question and Answers –
Q.1 What do the tigers embroidered on the panel signify ?
Ans. The poet uses the metaphor ‘tiger’ to draw a contrast between the constrained life of Aunt Jennifer and the free lives of the tigers that she creates. They are fearless of the men embroidered on the panel while her life is dictated by fancies of her husband and conventions of her married life.
Q.2 Describe the tigers on the panel.
Ans – They are bold nand confident. They are unafraid of the people embroidered on the panel, along with being proud and at ease in their surroundings.
Q.3 Why do Aunt Jennifer’s fingers flutter? Why does she find it hard to pull the ivory needle?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer is weighed down by the demands of her married life which impacts every little action of her. Her fluttering fingers are an indication of her nervous state. She is surrounded by the difficulties of meeting the standards set by her husband and it is obviously a great effort for her as is everything in her life.
Q.4 What is the significance of uncle’s wedding band and why does she find it heavy?
Ans. Her nervous fingers are weighed down by the wedding ring and this is a metaphor for the binding influences of married life that dictate all her actions. “It is heavy” implies tht he is an exacting man and aunt has to work hard to meet his expectations.
Q.5 Why does the poet say that aunt will always be haunted by the demands of her life?
Ans. The poet points out that even when she dies, her fingers will bear the evidence of the difficulties and demands of her married state.
Q.6 What does the poet suggest by saying that the tigers that she has embroidered will go on prancing proudly forever?
Ans. The poet suggests that the tigers that she has embroidered will outlive her confidently and intrepidly proclaiming their freedom.
Q.7 Why did aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel?
Ans. The tigers are an expression of her secret longing for a life of freedom and confidence, satisfying her secret urge to be free.
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