CBSE Class 12 English Aunt's Jeniffer Tigers Notes

Aunt's Jennifer Tigers Class 12 English Summary of the Story

SUMMARY OF THE POEM

In this feminist poem, which is critical of the male world, Aunt Jennifer creates an alternate world of freedom in her tigers. The tigers of Aunt Jennifer’s stitchings are representative of her desire of a free spirit.
The first stanza opens with Aunt Jennifer’s tapestry of tigers who are fearless of their environment. “Bright topaz denizens of a world of green” – evokes an image that these regal tigers are unafraid of other beings in the jungle. Bright here signifies their powerful and radiant persona. The Tigers stride in sleek chivalric certainty. The pacing of the Tigers may characterize fluid and controlled motion, as compared to the rhythmic movement of the first line. Nevertheless, the Tigers may be marching back and forth, because their movement is constrained to their tree top since there are men present there. There is a sense of certainty and confidence in the way these tigers move as can be seen in the line – “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty”.
In the second stanza, the reality of Aunt Jennifer is revealed as she is feeble, weak and enslaved, very much the opposite of the tigers she was creating. Her fingers are fluttering through her wool as she sews. This fluttering may be the nervous movement of her fingers as she works. Her physical and mental trauma is depicted in the line – “find even the ivory needle hard to pull”. Even though a wedding ring doesn’t weigh much, “the massive weight of uncle’s wedding band, sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand” signifying the amount of dominance her husband exercised over her. This also means that her inner free spirit has been shackled by the patriarchal society.
The last stanza starts on a creepy note about Aunt Jennifer’s death. Even her death couldn’t free her from the ordeals she went through which can be seen in “When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by”. But her art work which was her escape route or in a way, her inner sense of freedom, will stay forever, proud and unafraid.

ABOUT THE POET

One of America’s leading public philosophers, Adrienne Rich, was a poet, essayist, and feminist. She was called “one of the most extensively read and powerful poets of the second half of the 20th century” and was credited with bringing “the oppression of women to the forefront of poetic discourse”. She published twenty-five volumes of poetry, three collections of essays and more than half a dozen other writings. Rich’s prose collections are widely-acclaimed for their erudite, lucid, and poetic treatment of politics, feminism, history, racism and many other topics.
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” was an early attempt by Rich to define male and female relationships. She eloquently voices the poem in a third-person narrative which sets herself apart from Aunt Jennifer. The prevailing theme of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” is Aunt Jennifer’s oppression through marriage, and her utilization of embroidery as her only form of self-expression.

POETIC DEVICES/FIGURES OF SPEECH IN THE POEM

1. Irony
• Chivalric certainty, weight of wedding band, prancing proud.
It is ironical that Aunt Jennifer’s creations will continue to prance freely, when she continues to be chained by the woes of life.
2. Alliteration
• “Fingers fluttering.”
The repeated “f” sounds in her “fingers fluttering” make the poem enjoyable to read aloud as the repeated consonant sounds allow the words to appear perhaps, playful, continuing the ‘mood’ from the first stanza.
3. Repetition
• tigers prance across a screen; will go on prancing.
It creates a horrifying ambience of the oppressor and the oppressed. The theme of male chauvinism runs throughout the poem creating a fearsome atmosphere of fierce and fearless tigers on the prowl.
4. Metaphor
• Ringed ordeals – Aunt’s woes surrounded her so that even death would not fall her.
• Bright to paz denizens – The poet compares the yellow stripes of the tigers to a precious stone, topaz.
5. Transferred epithet
• “terrified fingers” – Aunt Jennifer is terrified; so, her fingers flutter.
6. Personification
• “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.”
In this line, Adrienne Rich has given the tigers a chivalric characteristic through personification. As much as fairytales and stories disagree, tigers in real life, are not noble or gentlemanly, they are wild animals.
• “The tigers in the panel that she made/Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.”
Here, Adrienne Rich uses pride, a humanly attribute, to offer a way for the reader to really understand how important these tigers are, and how they have the courage and pride that Aunt Jennifer never had.

Short Answer Type Questions :

Question. What do you understand by "massive weight of uncle's wedding band"? 
Answer: Generally 'wedding band' is a symbol of joy and happiness. But in case of Aunt Jennifer, it has become a symbol of torture and oppression. Her relationship with her authoritative husband has become a painful burden to carry. Her 'wedding band' has brought her a world of pain, misery and torture. She has lost her freedom and entered a world of humiliation and oppression.

Question. What do the tigers made by the Aunt symbolize?
Answer: The tigers made by Aunt Jennifer symbolize the spirit of courage, strength and fearlessness. Aunt Jennifer, a victim of male oppression, expresses her crushed feelings in the form of art. So, the tigers are symbolic of the fear of male domination with which Aunt Jennifer suffers.

Question. Explain The tigers in the panel proud and unafraid.
Answer: Here the tigers symbolize the unquestioned authority of man enjoyed by him over his woman counterpart. The lines suggest the dispassionate and unconcerned attitude of the male towards the desire for freedom among women. Here, Aunt Jennifer tries to find an escape in her art but ends up portraying an image of her own suppression. While woman can never free herself from the oppressive authority of her male counterpart, the male, on the other hand will go on enjoying his authoritative arrogance and ferocity without any fear or regrets.

Question. Of what or whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified with, in the third stanza ?
Answer: According to the poet, Aunt Jennifer would carry the marks of injury of her married life to her grave. She would remain afraid of the Uncle and the iron bands of her marriage. The rings of torture even after her death would accompany her.

Question. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer's hands are fluttering through her wool? Why does she find the needle so hard to pull? 
Answer:  Aunt Jennifer is victimized by the overbearing and dominant nature of her husband. Her life has become a perpetual torture. The fear of her authoritative husband has gone so deep into her being that she seems to have lost all strength and energy. Thus her hands shake and flutter so much that she is not even able to pull the needle through the tapestry.

Question. Why to you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are different from her own character ? 
What might the poet be suggesting through this poem ?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer's animals were so different from her own character as she was greatly experiencing the constraints of her married life. The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band was sitting heavily on her hand. She wasted the animals created by her to move freely in the world. She through that they would go on prancing, proud and unafraid. She used them as tool to express her own feelings. She wanted to echo a strong resistance to racism and militarism through them. The poet might be suggesting through that difference, the attitude of Aunt Jennifer as well as that of the tigers. She might have wanted to highlight the feeling of gallantry or dogmatic attitude of the tigers in comparison to the Aunt who was badly terrified.

Question. Explain her terrified hands will lie, still ringed with the ordeals she was mastered by.
Answer: These lines convey Aunts complete submission to the oppressive authority of her husband. The fear of her husband has gone so deep into her being that even death cannot liberate her from the chains of her mental suppression. Memories of her husbands tortures and atrocities which bent her into a humiliating slavery will continue to haunt her even after her death.

Question. Interpret the symbols found in this poem.
Answer: The poems is rich in symbolism. 'The massive weight of wedding band' symbolizes ordeals, hardships and worries of married life. 'terrified hands' and 'ringed' with ordeals' also symbolize unpleasant experiences. 'Topaz' is a symbol of hardness and brightness. They cling to Aunt Jennifer mentally and physically.

Question. What are the ordeals Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by, why is it significant that the poet uses the word 'ringed'? What are the different meanings of the word 'ringed' in the poem ?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer was still mentally surrounded by the ordeals she faced during her married life. The poem narrated the unhappy experience of married life. The word 'ringed' is significant. It made it clear that vicious grip of her unhappy married life was still holding her tightly .

Question. How do 'denizens' and 'chivalric' add to our understanding of the tiger's attitude ?
Answer: Tigers, like all beasts of prey were the denizens of the forest. The poem attributed the same traits of character and attitude to men, who, like the tigers preferred to be superior in their domain.

Question. Do you sympathize with Aunt Jennifer ? What is the attitude of speaker towards Aunt Jennifer ?
Answer: We sympathize with Aunt Jennifer. Here marriage and Uncle would prove to be fatal. She lived in terror throughout her life. The speaker has no sympathy with her. She wanted that Aunt should have resisted to Uncle's cruelty with courage. But the Aunt could not muster courage. She suffered in silence. She could express it only with her needlework.

Question. How do Aunt Jennifers tiger look like?
Answer: The tigers, made by Aunt Jennifer on the screen, are jumping and playing about without any fear of the men beneath the tree. They walk in elegance and style displaying the spirit of courage, fearlessness, strength and confidence.

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow-

Aunt Jennifers 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.

Question. Why are tigers referred to as denizens of a world of green?
Answer: The tigers are the dwellers of the green forest, they are free and wild, so they are referred to as denizens of world of green.

Question. What does prancing tigers symbolize?
Answer: Prancing tigers are a symbol of the spirit of freedom within Aunt Jennifer which remains subdued. They can also symbolize her fear of her male counterpart.

Question. Explain; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Answer: The movement of the tigers is sleek, stealthy, sure, majestic and elegant like kings. They are sure of their purpose. Gallant and confident, they move ahead fearlessly and undeterred

Question. What qualities of the tigers are highlighted here?
Answer: Fearlessness and ferocity of the tigers are highlighted here. Aunt Jennifers nervousness and timidity are in sharp contrast to wild ferocity of the tigers that are not afraid of hunting men. Unlike Aunt Jennifer, the tigers fear nothing.

Question. What does the expression Aunt Jennifers tigers imply?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer was embroidering a panel of prancing tigers. The poetess refers to the tigers as Aunt Jennifer tigers because they are her creation, her work of art. They also represent her desire to lead a life free from male dominance, full of respect, and valuable to the society.

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow-

Aunt Jennifers fingers fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncles wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifers hand

Question. Why do Aunt Jennifer fingers flutter through her wool?
Answer:  Aunt Jennifer lives in constant fear of her chauvinist husband. She is old and weak but still has to work. She feels so nervous and terrified that her hands shake and flutter when she sits down to knit.

Question. Explain: massive weight of Uncles wedding band.
Answer: The expression is symbolic of male authority and power. Matrimony binds the woman physically as well as mentally, clipping her of freedom of expression and independence. Likewise Aunt Jennifer is trapped in gender oppression and feels herself burdened by the authority of her husband.

Question. How is Aunt Jennifer affected by the weight of matrimony?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer cannot do things freely, she tries to come up to the expectation of her husband, and she seems to have lost her identity. The freedom that she dreams of through her art is itself symbolic of her oppressed self.

Question. Why does she find it hard to pull the ivory needle?
Answer: Confronting constant fear and bearing the constraints of married life, she has become a nervous wreck. She finds it difficult to pull the ivory needle through the tapestry more because of mental suppression than because of physical weakness.

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow-

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

Question. Explain: terrified hands.
Answer: Aunt Jennifer is terrified by her dominating husband and hence her hands are shivering.

Question. What does ringed with ordeals imply?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer has been so victimized in her life that even after death she remains trapped in the struggles of the spirit. Though we do not know what terrors Aunt Jennifer has to live with we find her a victim of gender injustice and oppression.

Question. What is Aunt Jennifers death symbolic of?
Answer:  Aunt Jennifers death can be symbolic of her complete submission to her suppression.

Question. Is the society in any way affected by Aunt Jennifers death?
Answer : Since the society is male dominated, it shows no concern for Aunts suffering, even her death. The loss of her freedom is her individual loss. The society is not affected by it and the state of women still remains the same.

Extract Based Question :

Question. What does the image 'massive weight of the wedding band ' mean?
(A) wedding bond of hard married life
(B) fatty structure of uncle
(C) fatty body of aunty
(D) heavy body of tiger

Answer : A

Question. What issue does the poem Aunt Jennifer's Tigers address?
(A) constraints of women
(B) constraints of married life a woman experiences
(C) constraints of women as a poet
(D) None

Answer : B

Question. What do you understand by the words 'denizens' and 'chivalric' in the poem?
(A) The dominant and highly arrogant attitude of the wild animal-tiger
(B) tiger is a wild animal
(C) tiger is hungry
(D) beauty of the tiger

Answer : A

Question. Tell and interpret the meaning of 'Denizen of a world of green'.
(A) forest haters
(B) forest lovers
(C) forest dwellers
(D) all

Answer : C

Reference to Context

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

I. 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.

Question. Why are they described as ‘denizens of a world of green’?
Answer: They have been called ‘denizens of a world of green’ because they are the natives of dense green forests where they are known for their strength and valour.

Question. Which poetic device is used in the last line here?
Answer: In the above lines, ‘chivalric certainty’ is an example of alliteration. 

Question. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers described?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers have been described golden yellow in colour. They are chivalric, bold and fearless as they prance across the screen with confidence.

Question. What are her tigers symbolic of?
Answer: Her tigers are symbolic of Aunt Jennifer’s desire for freedom. They are also symbols of great strength and self-confidence.

II 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.

Question. Explain: ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’?
Answer: The expression is symbolic of male authority and power. Marriage seems to bind the woman mentally as well as physically. In the poem, Aunt Jennifer is trapped in gender oppression and does not get enough freedom to express herself. She is burdened by the domestic responsibilities and the authority of her husband.

Question. Why does she find it hard to pull the ivory needle?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer finds it very hard to pull through the ivory needle because she is enslaved and enfeebled. She finds it hard to pull more because of mental suppression rather than physical weakness.

Question. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer lives in constant fear of her husband. Her fluttering fingers are a sign of nervousness as she is traumatized and terrorized by the constraints of her married life.

Question. How is Aunt Jennifer affected by the ‘weight of matrimony’?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer cannot do things freely. In trying to meet the expectations of her husband, she seems to lose her identity.
The freedom that she dreams of through her art, is itself symbolic of her oppressed self.

III. 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.

Question. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands ‘terrified’?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer has been enslaved by the wedding ring. After undergoing the harsh and bitter experiences of her married life, she feels weak and shaken. Even in death her hands will continue to be afraid and continue to be surrounded, or “ringed”, by the ordeals of her life.

Question. What is Aunt Jennifer’s death symbolic of?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer’s death is symbolic of her complete submission to her suppression.

Question. Why has Aunt Jennifer created the tigers so different from her own character?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer is weak and submissive, whereas the tigers are strong, bold and powerful. The tigers of Aunt Jennifer’s tapestry are representative of her desire of a free spirit, emphasising the fact that she pines for freedom from her burdensome wedlock. She is bound by the constraints of her married life, while the tigers are free to move about in the green woods.

Question. Why is she “ringed with ordeals”?
Answer: The ‘ring’ here refers to her wedding band or ring, which has brought with it a host of family responsibilities. She feels so surrounded (i.e., ringed) by her marital constraints that it seems like an ordeal to her. This also means that her free spirit has been jailed by the patriarchal society. There is no escape for her even after death.

IV. They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.

Question. Why are ‘they’ not afraid of the men?
Answer: They are not afraid of the men because they are brave and confident.

Question. What does the word ‘sleek’ mean?
Answer: The word ‘sleek’ means ‘elegant’ or ‘glossy’.

Question. Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
Answer: The poem is ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’. The poet is Adrienne Rich.

Question. Who are ‘they’ in the above lines and where do you find them?
Answer: They are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers. We find them in the forests and also in the panel being embroidered by Aunt Jennifer.

V. The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

Question. Why did Aunt Jennifer make the tigers?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer crated the tigers which are symbols of confidence and fearlessness because she wants to be like them. She wants to break free from the marital responsibilities that have tethered her all her life.

Question. Who terrified the Aunt?
Answer: Her husband (Uncle) and the immense pressure of conforming to the stereotype laid down by patriarchal society terrified the Aunt.

Question. What will happen to her tigers after her death?
Answer: The tigers are eternal. They will keep on prancing even after her death.

Question. What did she do to face the terror?
Answer: She embroidered tigers on the panel to face the terror. It served as a vent to her burdened spirit and an escape to freedom.