Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers (Flamingo)

Explanation and figure of speech.......

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.

According to the poet, Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen. The word prance means to leap
forward. Screen refers to the canvas on which Aunt Jennifer is craving the tigers. The very first line
gives impression of the art of Aunt Jennifer i.e. it is free, bold and hopeful.

They are bright and vibrant like topaz (a yellow coloured precious stone). In other words, the yellow
skin of those tigers is bright and appealing. 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.

In the third line, 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.

In this stanza, the poet describes the art i.e. tigers and their characteristics put by the artist i.e. Aunt
Jennifer.

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.
Ex-Here the poet describes the fear of Aunt Jennifer towards her husband. She says that while she is
doing embroidery, her fingers are quivering (shaking) with fear of her husband. Her husband doesn’t
approve of her hobby of embroidery. Therefore, she trembles while she is embroidering the piece of
cloth. It has become difficult for her to pull her needle up and down. Then she describes the wedding
ring which was given by uncle to Aunt Jennifer on their wedding day. She says that it is a kind of burden
for her to wear this ring. She has been tortured by her husband so much that the wedding ring which
could have been a beautiful gift for her seems like a burden to her. She has faced so many difficulties
in her married life that the little ring is described as a heavy band on her trembling fingers. This means
that the ring is associated with some bad experiences in the form of torture she has faced because of
her husband’s dominating behaviour.

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.

Ex-According to the poet, when Aunt will die, her terrified hands will still have the ring of marriage on
them. So, 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. However, her art i.e. the tigers in the panel (canvas) will
keep moving with high spirits, proudly and fearlessly.

In other words, though she will die, her tiger will remain alive, fearless, proud and bold (unlike her).
This line gives the powerful message i.e. art has no boundaries, no obstacles. A woman can feel
liberated only with her art.

.......Figure of speech.......

Stanza 1

Rhyme scheme: AABB

Anaphora: use of same word in two consecutive lines (they do not … and they pace in…)

Metaphor: Use of topaz to describe the yellow colour of tigers (Bright topaz)

Alliteration - chivalric certainty

Stanza 2 ....

Rhyme scheme: AABB

Alliteration: ‘f’ sound is repeated in finger fluttering

Wedding band - symbolize burden of married life. So it's a symbol.

Stanza 3

Rhyme scheme: AABB

Alliteration: ‘p’ is repeated in prancing proud

Important Words Meaning.

Prance: Walk or move around with high springy steps.

Topaz: A bright yellow coloured stone.

Denizens: Here, an animal that lives or is found in a particular place.

Sleek: Elegant.

Chivalric: Being courteous esp. To women, an act of a gentleman.

Ordeals: Extremely severe tests or experiences.

Prancing: To move around proudly.

Fluttering: To move in quick, irregular motions as if being agitated.

......Short questions......
1) What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?
Answer:
The poet says that Uncle’s wedding band lies very heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand. She has to
work endlessly from morning till night and also have to bear Uncle’s tyranny. Aunt Jennifer
has to slavishly follow all the orders of uncle.

2) How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?
Answer:
Tigers are the denizens of the world of green. The. tiger is considered very brave and
courageous animal. They are not afraid of anyone.

3) 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?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer has become so old that it appears that her fingers are trembling through wool.
She has become so weak that she even finds the needle hard to pull. The poet means to say
that unending household chores have made aunt very weak.

Question 4.
Of what or of whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified with in the third stanza?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is terrified of endless household chores and Uncle in the third stanza. She thinks
that even after her death she will not be free from these household chores.

Question 5.
What are the ‘ordeals’ Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by, why is it significant that the poet
uses the word ‘ringed’? What are the meanings of the word ‘ringed’ in the poem?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by household chores. These chores are no less than ordeals for
her be-cause willingly or unwillingly she has to do them. The word ‘ringed’ has been used to
convey that Aunt Jennifer is so surrounded by her ordeals that she can never think to come
out of them.
Question 6.
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own
character? What might the poet be suggesting, through this difference?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is old and submissive woman. But the tigers she is embroidering on the panel
appear to be bold and chivalric. The suggestion given here is that women give birth to men
but the same men tyrannise women when they grow up.

Question 7.
Interpret the symbols found in this poem.
Answer:
The poet has used the symbol of tigers in this poem. The tigers represent creative energy of
women. The tigers also represent the male-dominant society. The poet wants to say that the
women give birth to men, but the same men tyrannise women when they grow up.

Question 8.
Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards Aunt
Jennifer?
Answer:
Yes, we do sympathise with Aunt Jennifer. Aunt Jennifer symbolises particular housewife. She
has to do all the household chores without any respite. Her husband is very cruel and often
tyrannises her. The poet says that perhaps Aunt Jennifer will have to continue with her
household chores even after death.

Question 9.
For Aunt Jennifer what do the tigers symbolise?
Answer:
The tigers symbolise creative energy of women. The tigers also represent the male-dominant
society. The poet wants to say that the women give birth to men, but the same men tyrannise
women when they grow up.
Question 10.
What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer has embroidered tigers on a panel. These tigers represent not only women’s
creativity but also tyranny of men towards women. It will continue even after the death of
Aunt Jennifer. Therefore, her tigers will also keep prancing on the panel.

Question 11.
Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer has been tyrannised by her husband all her life. Her husband has become a
picture of terror for her. She is in fact venting out all her inner feelings by embroidering tigers
on the panel. In the form of tigers, she has in fact embroidered the fearful face of her husband.

Question 12.
Aunt Jennifer’s efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile. Comment.
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer embroidered tigers on the screen. These tigers are symbol of her husband,
whom she is very afraid. She thinks that by embroidering tigers she will get a sort of relief
from her fear. But it proves quite futile. The poet says that even after her death, the fear of
her husband’s tyranny will keep on haunting Aunt Jennifer.

Question 13.
Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals that are so different from her own character?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is old and submissive woman. But the tigers she is embroidering on the panel
appear to be bold and chivalric. The suggestion given here is that women give birth to men
but the same men tyrannise women when they grow up.
Question 14.
What picture of male chauvinism (tyranny) do we find in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’?
Answer:
Ours is a male-dominated society. Aunt Jennifer is a typical housewife. She has to follow her
husband’s orders slavishly. Her husband tyrannises her and she has accepted her fate
submissively. In fact, this poem reflects a true picture of male chauvinism.

Reference to the context

1)
Aunt Jennifer’s finger 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.

Questions & Answers

(a) What is Aunt Jennifer doing with her wool?

She is embroidering beautiful tigers with her wool. Aunt Jennifer is finding hard to pull her needle
because her hands have become very weak.

(b) Why does she find it difficult to pull the ivory needle?

Wedding band in these lines stands for the marital duties that every woman has to perform.

(c) What does ‘wedding band’ stand for?

They never get any respite and they have to do household chores from early morning till late night.

(d) Describe the irony in the third line.

The wedding is generally considered union of two souls and blessed by God Himself. But ironically in
this poem, the wedding is considered as a painful experience of Aunt Jennifer.

__________________________________________________________________________________

2)
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.
Questions & Answers

(a) Why are the tigers called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers?

Aunt Jennifer has embroidered the tigers on a screen, therefore they are called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers.

(b) How are they described here?

These tigers are of bright yellow colour; they are in-habitants of the forests.

(c) How are they different from Aunt Jennifer?

Aunt Jennifer is a very submissive and timid woman. On the other hand, the tigers are shown very
brave and full of energy.

(d) What does the word, ‘chivalric’ mean?

It means ‘confident and brave’.

___________________________________________________________________________
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.

Questions & Answers

(a) Name the poem and the poet.

The name of the poem is ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ and the name of the. Poet is Adrienne Rich.

(b) What was Aunt mastered by?

Aunt was mastered by her ordeals.

(c) What will her terrified hands be ringed with?

Her terrified hands will be ringed with ordeals.

(d) What will happen to tigers after Aunt Jennifer’s death?

The tigers will keep on prancing on the screen even after Aunt Jennifer’s death.