Important questions of poem Aunt Jennifer's Tigers For class 12th English
About poet: Adrienne Cecile Rich (1929-2012)
She was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was one of the most widely read and influenced poets of the second half of the 20th century. In her poems she talks about a woman's experiences in her married life. She has tried to explore the inner feelings of a woman who is living under the dominance of men. Adrienne rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She is widely known for her active involvement in the women's movement. She has published 19 volumes of poetry, three collections of essays and other writings. She was strongly against racism and inequality prevailed in human society. In the poem Aunt Jennifer's Tigers the poet describes the oppressed condition of women by males and their dominance in society.
EXPLANATION OF THE POEM:
Stanza -1. Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Explanation: Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance and move across a screen or wall.. They are bright coloured like the golden yellow jewel (topaz). They are the denizens (dwellers) of green forests. They are not afraid of the men standing under the tree. They are well groomed (shining) and running fast on the panel with confidence.
(Here Aunt Jennifer has knitted images of tigers on the panel. They are not real or living tigers. The images of tigers are created by aunt on the panel with her own hands. The tigers represent her dreams. Her desire is to be free from fear and oppression that control her life and wants to become brave like tigers.)
Stanza- 2. Aunt Jennifer's fingers fluttering through her
Find even the ivory needle hard pull.
The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band, Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.
Questions: (i) Why do aunt Jennifer's fingers flutter?
(ii) Why does she find it hard to pull the ivory needle?
(i)Why is uncle's wedding band described as being heavy?
Answer: (1) Aunt's fingers were fluttering because of nervous excitement. She was afraid of her husband.
(ii) she finds it hard to pull the ivory needle because she was very anxious and worried.
(iii) Her married life with uncle had been severe. She had to face lot of ordeals in her married life. The uncle treated her with heavy hand and cruelty.
Explanation: Aunt Jennifer's hands are moving about her wool to create beautiful images of tigers. But the movement is not easy and smooth. Aunt finds the ivory needle very hard to pull through wool. The Uncle's wedding band seems very heavy on her hand. She feels burdened with her marital (wedding)
responsibilities. (Aunt always fears from her husband. Her marital life is burden. Through this stanza the poet wants to carry the fact that a women do not feel easy to carry her martial life. She feels so much subjected that the martial bond is a burden on her. This is also with Aunt Jennifer.)
Stanza- 3. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hand will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she maid
Will go on prancing proud and unafraid.
Explanation: The final stage reveals Aunt Jennifer will remain terrified always in her life as well as after her death.She will not be able to liberate herself from the shackles of patriarchal institutions of society even after her death . The tiger in the panel that she made will go on jumping. They will be proud and unafraid.
Question and Answers
Qs. How do 'denizens' and 'chivalric' add to understanding of the tiger's attitude?
Ans. The Tigers are the 'denizens' of the forest. They are very brave and fearless. They are 'chivalric". They occupy honorable and majestic positions in the world of Animals. So the use of 'denizens' and chivalric' adds to our understanding of the tigers attitude.
Qs. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer's hands are fluttering through her wool in the second stanza? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?
Ans. Ant Jennifer is creating Tiger on the screen. Her hands are fluttering through her wool. She is filled with nervous excitement She had bitter and unpleasant experiences of her married life. The memory of her married life is still fresh in her mind. So she finds the needle so hard to pull.
Qs. What is suggested by the image 'massive weight of Uncle's wedding band'?
Ans. The poet uses many images and symbols to describe the unpleasant experience of Aunt Jennifer's married life. Massive weight of 'Uncles wedding band' is a symbol of harsh and bitter experiences of married life of Aunt Jennifer. The Wedding band also stands for unbreakable bond of marriage between the husband and wife.
Q. Of what or whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified with the third stanza?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer's is creating Tiger on the screen. She is terrified. She had gone through with bitter and harsh experiences in her married life. The memory of her married life is still.
Most Important questions
1. “Every poem breaks silence that had to be over come” What silence does the poem Aunt Jennifer’s tigers break?
Ans. Adrienne Rich has rightly said that "Every poem breaks a silence" This poem Aunt Jennifer's tigers also talks about a problem faced by women in their married life specially in a patriarchal institutions of society. A woman has to face lot of constraints and restrictions in married life in a male terminated society she is not able to express her ideas her desires and artistic talents and has to spend her life under the dictates of the husband. So this poem breaks The silence of a mute women who yearns for Liberty from the shackles of domineering husband.
2. What knitting was to Aunt Jennifer: Poetry was to Adrienne Rich do you agree?
Ans It is absolutely true,what knitting was to Aunt Jennifer poetry was to Adrienne Rich.
Through her panel which Aunt Jennifer knitted she tried to express her hidden desires to liberate herself, the tigers in her panel were shown full of confidence and they do not fear men.
Similarly the poet also chose her poems as her mouth piece to propagate her ideas on racism, militrism and feminism in America.
3. Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals that are so different from her own character?
Ans3 Aunt Jennifer created animals which were in stark opposition to her own character she was make subdued and hesitant but the tigers which she created in her panel but full of confidence they walked In sleek chivalric' certanity .She created just opposite characters in her poem in order to express hidden desire to be like them.
4. What is suggested by image massive weight of uncle’s wedding band?
Ans 4 In this poem the poet has used to symbols one is the" tigers" which symbolise animals who do not fear men and walk in a proper attitude
Another symbol used in this poem is massive weight of uncle's wedding band with symbolise the constraints and ordeals faced by women in their harsh married life.
5. Aunt Jennifer’s efforts to get rid of her fear prove to be futile. Comment.
Ans 5. Aunt Jennifer's efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile because in the poem we find that even after her death she was not able to liberate herself from the shackles of her husband and her terrified hands lay ringed by the ordeals which she was mastered by her husband.
6. Do you think the poem ends on a note of hope .Justify the answer.
Ans The poem ends on a sad note No we don't think that the poem ends in a ray of hope because in the end of the poem also we find that in spite of a desire to liberate herself from the dominance of the husband and Jennifer was not able to achieve that and even after the death fear which is reflected from the line"Her terrified hands lay still ringed by the ordeals she was mastered by".
