Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.

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.

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

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.

Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.

Alliteration

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.

When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.

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.
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

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.
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.

(Text Book Questions)

Q. Describe the tigers created by Aunt Jennifer. What do they represent?
Ans. The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer are bright yellow in colour. They are fearless and confident residents of the forest. They are fearless and ferocious in sharp contrast to their creator.They are confident and graceful in their movements. They represent strength, bravery and fearlessness.

Q. Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel? (All India 2009)
Ans Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because of the nature of the tigers. They symbolise strength, bravery, fearlessness and splendour which was in sharp contrast to her own meek nature. The massive weight of the wedding band that sits heavily on her finger symbolises the ordeals and hardships of her married life. So she creates tigers.

Q. How are Aunt Jennifer's tiger different from her?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer's tigers are created on a panel. They are in sharp contrast to her meek nature. She is weak, meek and submissive. She is scared of expressing her feelings openly. But the tigers are strong, fearless and confident. They are bold creatures and are scared of none.

Q. Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals that are so different from her own character?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer creates tigers, representing strength, fearlessness and confidence. She does so to express her longing of freedom and independence. She wants to get out of the bondage imposed by her husband. Her tigers express her hidden desires and feelings.

Q. How does the poet use the image of “fingers fluttering through the wool” to highlight Aunt Jennifer's victimisation?
Ans. Through the image, the poet wants to state that Aunt Jennifer is burdened by the weight of her marriage and the responsibilities coming with it. Due to this, she finds it hard to pull the ivory needle. This highlights the oppressed state of women in the society.

Q. What is suggested by the phrase, ‘massive weight of Uncle's wedding band?
Ans. The ‘wedding band’ represents Aunt’s marriage. The phrase, 'massive weight of Uncle's wedding band' refers to the oppressive marriage in which Aunt Jennifer was trapped. Her marriage had imposed many restrictions and troubles upon Aunt Jennifer. These restrictions and troubles are like a great burden for her and she does not hope that this burden will ever be reduced.

Q. How did Aunt Jennifer face the ordeals in her life?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer's ordeals was that she was dominated by her husband and was denied freedom. To face the ordeals, she created woolen tigers with a needle. Her art is an expression of her inner desires. With the help of art she created a scene of free, and unafraid tigers in jungle.

Q. What are the ordeals' Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by? Why is it significant that the poet uses the word ‘ringed'?
Ans. Ordeals' refers to the oppression or painful experiences Aunt Jennifer has to face in a male dominated society. She did not have the freedom to lead her life, pursue her hobbies and freedom to express. She had a lot of responsibilities of married life. Even after becoming old, she is afraid of her husband The word ‘ringed’ in the poem means ‘surrounded by’. The poet wants to say that Aunt Jennifer would always be controlled by society's rules. She would always be surrounded by the troubles and sontant fear of her husband.

Q. What will happen to Aunt Jennifer's tigers when she is dead?
Ans. The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer will keep on prancing even after her death, as she has created them on a screen. It shows that her longing for freedom will not die even after her death. Her art will forever state her struggle for freedom.

Q. Aunt Jennifer's efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile. Comment.
Ans. The trembling hands of Aunt Jennifer because of the weight of the wedding band show that she still is a victim of male chauvinism. Even her death won't free her from her ordeal as she will still be wearing the ring that symbolises her failed marriage.

Q. How do symbols in the poem, Aunt Jennifer's Tigers help us understand her plight?
Ans. The poet has used many symbols in the poem to highlight Aunt Jennifer's plight. Tigers are a symbol of strength, bravery and fearlessness. They are also symbolic of Aunt Jennifer's inner desire to be free from oppression. 'Ring' is another symbol which represents bondage. 'Wedding band' is a symbol of oppression. Aunt Jennifer herself is a symbol of all females.

Q. How does Aunt Jennifer express her bitterness and anger against male dominance?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer is too terrified to openly resist the oppression that she is a victim of. So, she expresses her bitterness and anger against male dominance silently through her art. She creates tigers on a panel. These tigers are symbolic of bravery, fearlessness and strength. Through her art she wants to express her hidden feelings and desires of freedom from any kind of bondage.

Q. Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the poet towards Aunt Jennifer?
Ans. Yes, we sympathise with Aunt Jennifer. She represents all the women in a male dominated society. She feels oppressed and the rules of society do not allow to express herself freely. The poet herself is very critical of the treatment given to Aunt Jennifer. So he wants women to fight for their rights, rather than being silent victims of oppression.

Q. What pictures of male chauvinism do we find in the poem, “Aunt Jennifer's Tigers”?
Ans. In 'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers', we find the picture of male chauvinism through the presence of the 'wedding ring’ which bound her to her dominating husband. Aunt Jennifer faced great hardships in her married life. She led a terrifying and oppressed life wherein she had never been free but a helpless victim of male chauvinism. Dominated and terrorised by her husband, Aunt Jennifer struggled for an existence within the deep conflicts of suppression.

Q. Would you say that the poem ends on a note of hope? Justify your opinion.
Ans. I do not believe that the poem ends on a note of hope. The end talks about Aunt Jennifer's death and how she will still be subdued by the patriarchal forces. This indicates that even death does not provide any relief to the Aunt. Her story, if remembered would still be full of the struggles, burdens and responsibilities that she faced in life. Even though her art will exist to represent her dreams, wishes and desires, she herself would not be able to enjoy them.

Q. “What knitting was to Aunt Jennifer; poetry was for Adrienne Rich". Do you agree? Comment with reference to the poem Aunt Jennifer's Tigers'.
Ans. It is true that the act of knitting by Aunt Jennifer is similar to the act of writing poetry by Adrienne Rich. The act of knitting was the creative expression of Aunt Jennifer's talents through which she puts forward her desires, wishes and dreams. Similarly, writing poetry is her creative expression through which she propagates her ideas, thoughts and beliefs.

Q. Read the given quote. In your opinion, what silence does the poem 'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers' break?
Every poem breaks a silence that had to be overcome. - Adrienne Rich Ans. The poem Aunt Jennifer's tigers break the silence of women suppression and oppression in the male dominated society. It talks about how women, her talents, and her ideas are silenced by the patriarchal institutions of the society. Throughout the poem, the central character of Aunt Jennifer is silent. She cannot speak about the discrimination faced by her by the hands of her husband and her family. However, her artistic creation functions to break her silence. It loudly speaks what she wants.

Q. Interpret the symbols found in the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’
Ans. Adrienne Rich has aptly used many symbols in the poem. The tigers in the poem are symbols of freedom of the spirit which Aunt Jennifer dreams of attaining but never achieves except in her dreams and art. The embroidery that Aunt Jennifer is making on a panel represents her expression of her inner feelings. It is also a medium to indicate her desires and wishes. The word ‘topaz’ in the poem represents the brighter side of life. The phrase ‘wedding band’ represents the responsibilities of married life. The alliteration ‘prancing proud’ signifies the everlasting strength of the tigers.

Q. What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead? (All India 2010)
Ans. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will survive even after she is dead. She has created the tigers in a panel out of wool. These objects of art are immortal. They will continue prancing, proudly and fearlessly. To express her desire for freedom she had created the chivalrous tigers who will survive long after her death but her own longing for freedom will remain unfulfilled.

Q. How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits of tigers do they reveal? (All India 2010)
Ans. Aunt Jennifer has created shining topaz yellow- coloured tigers who are denizens of a dense, green forest. They are fierce, unafraid and fearless and pace in ‘sleek’ and ‘chivalric’ certainty.

Q. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands fluttering through her wool? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Ans. Aunt Jennifer is a victim of gender oppression at the hands of her husband. She lives a life of total domination and constant fear. So she feels nervous and terrified that the hands shake and flutter through her wool as she sits down to knit.

Q. Describe the contrast between Aunt Jennifer ‘ and her creation, the tigers. (Comptt. All India 2010)
Ans. Aunt Jennifer is totally victimised and suffers from oppression by her male counterpart. So she creates an alternate world of freedom in her art. The tigers she creates go on prancing menacingly, exhibiting their pride and fearlessness of any social group or gender conflicts.

Q. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tigers’ attitude? (Delhi 2011)
Ans. ‘Denizens’ means that the tigers inhabit a green world. They live in the forests where they are free from constraints. ‘Chivalric’ means they are brave and fearless creatures. This helps us to understand that bravery and fearlessness are the basic nature of the tigers.

Q. What do the symbols, ‘tigers’, ‘fingers’ and ‘ring’ stand for in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’?
Ans. The ‘tigers’ are symbols of bravery and courage and also of Aunt Jennifer’s desire for freedom. The ‘fingers’ are symbolic of the nervousness and fear experienced by Aunt Jennifer and the ‘ring’ symbolises a binding marriage that is full of oppression and curtails one’s freedom.

Summary

‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ is a well-known poem of Adrienne Rich. In this poem the poet expresses the inner feelings of a woman named Aunt Jennifer. The aunt represents women all over the world. She is living a life of submissiveness to her husband’s command. Her acts are dominated by him and she fears him constantly. The pattern of the free and fearless tigers that she is carving on a panel reflects her inner desire to live a free and fearless life. The tigers are graceful, elegant and bright.
Aunt Jennifer’s fingers tremble as she embroiders. She is old but still fears her husband. She does not enjoy the freedom to do anything as per her wish. She is scared doing the embroidery too and fears his wrath. Since the day she got married, she has been fulfilling the demands of her husband. The wedding ring on her hand is a constant reminder that she belongs to her husband. The burden of the demanding marriage has exhausted her. The torment will not end until her death.
Even after her death, the ring will remain on her hand and she will never be free. On the other hand, the tigers that she is embroidering will continue to move around freely forever. Her desire of freedom and fearlessness will live on through her tigers.