Summary
Explanation
Questions and answers
The poet is talking about an old lady. She has been addressed as Anut Jennifer.
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Prance | Walk or run energetically |
| Topaz | A gem of yellow colour |
| Denizens | Resident, Inhabitant, citizens |
| Poetic Poetic | |
| Bright topaz | Metaphor |
In these lines, the poet describes the art i.e. tigers and their characteristics put by the artist i.e. Aunt Jennifer.
Aunts Jennifer is doing embroidery work on a piece of cloth. In the background there is green forest. Colour of tigers is bright yellow same as that of a topaz. These tigers are resident of green forest. They appear running with full of energy.
Aunt Jennifer is an old lady. Aunt Jennifer is drawing her wishes through embroidery. She wants her life to be bright. She wants her life to be free. Presently her life does not have any of these attributes.
Poetic style:
The word prance means to leap forward. Screen refers to the canvas on which Aunt Jennifer is craving the tigers.
They are bright and vibrant like topaz. A topaz is a yellow coloured precious stone. In other words, the yellow skin of those tigers is bright and appealing like topaz. They seem to be
the denizens (inhabitants) of a green world. Green world is symbolic. It either means forest or hope or a utopian place which does not exist on earth.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sleek | Slender, Gentle |
| Pace | Move |
| Beneath | Under |
| Chivalric | Polite and kind behaviour |
In these lines, the poet describes the art i.e. tigers and their characteristics put by the artist i.e. Aunt Jennifer.
These tigers are fearless. They are not afraid of persons sitting under the tree. They are moving elegantly in a manner of a gentleman. They are moving with confidence and certainty about themselves.
Here the poet is bringing a contrast. The tigers are free and fearless. But the Aunt Jennifer is not free. She is afraid of her husband. She is not at all confident that her feelings will be respected.
Poetic Style:
Here the poet says that those tigers (carved by Aunt Jennifer) do not fear the men beneath the tree. Men probably refer to hunters and tree refers to the forest (which exists in the world). This symbol (men under tree) gives the impression of humans dominating the nature. However, here the situation in different. The tigers do not fear those hunters at all.
The tigers pace (move) in sleek (elegant) and chivalric way. The word chivalric was used for knights in old times. However, here the poet personifies the tigers. According to her, these tigers are fearless, they do not fear humans and move ahead in chivalric way.
Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fluttering | Shaking, Trembling |
| Ivory | Colour similar to white/ Tusk of an elephant |
| Hard | Difficult |
| Poetic Poetic | |
| Fingers Fluttering | Alliteration |
| Ivory needle | Metaphor |
In these lines, the poet talks about the artist i.e. Aunt Jennifer and her condition which is on contrary to that of her tigers.
Finger of Aunt Jennifer were trembling while holding the thread of embroidery. It was difficult for her to pull the needle. The needle was of ivory colour. (It can also mean that needle was made of ivory)
The word ‘flutter; is used for birds which means flapping the wings quickly. Here, it refers to the inability of Aunt Jennifer to use her fingers. Aunt Jennifer is so feeble that she cannot protest against the bad behaviour of her husband. Her trembling fingers symbolize her fear. The weak hand symbolizes lack of confidence and strength.
The expression “find even hard to pull the ivory needle” shows that she is facing problems while carving the tigers. There are probably two reasons for that. Either her husband does not allow her to do that or she has become weak to psychological problems (of her failed marriage).
The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wedding band | Wedding ring |
| Sits heavily | Great burden |
| Poetic Poetic | |
| weight of Uncle’s wedding band | Alliteration |
In these lines, the poet talks about the artist i.e. Aunt Jennifer and her condition which is on contrary to that of her tigers.
She was wearing the wedding ring. It was given to her by her husband. This wedding ring is a great burden to Aunt Jennifer.
The restrictions and difficulties imposed because of her marriage are high. She is not able to overcome these. Now she had become used to difficulties.
The poet uses “Uncle’s wedding band” which means he is dominating the life of Aunt Jennifer. In addition, as the band is heavy, it means she is bearing the weight of her failed marriage which she cannot escape. This depicts the reality of woman’s condition during 20th century. A woman had to bear the problems of marriage because she had nowhere to go. The poet throws light on this aspect of society.
Aunt Jennifer finds difficult to carve the tigers due to the fear of her husband and the psychological
problems. Yet, she manages to carve it.
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Terrified | Frightened |
| Ordeals | Troubles, Difficulties |
| Mastered by | Used to |
| Poetic Poetic | |
| her terrified hands | Synecdoche |
| her terrified hands | Alliteration |
Even when Aunt Jennifer dies, she will continue to have fears of her husband. Her frightened hands will still indicate the troubles she had become used to.
In other words though she will die, the ordeals i.e. bad experiences (of her marriage) which mastered her (i.e. dominated her life) will remain with her.
Even at her death, she will not be able to come out of the restrictions. Her terrible hands will go on reminding about difficulties she had faced and become used to in her life time.
By using an expression ‘her terrified hands’ poet means that Aunt is terrified. Hence this poetic device is Synecdoche.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
These lines give the powerful message i.e. art has no boundaries, no obstacles. A woman can feel liberated only with her art.
The tigers she had made on the piece of the cloth, will move energetically. They will be proud of themselves and not afraid of anything. Thus even after her death, her art i.e. the tigers in the panel (canvas) will keep moving with high spirits, proudly and fearlessly.
Again a contrast is created by the poet. The tigers in her embroidery are free, fearless and proud of themselves. While life of Aunt Jenifer is exactly opposite. The frame of embroidery represents her wish to be away from her present conditions.
Question & Answers of the lesson
COMONG SOON
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