CBSE Class 12 English Aunt Jennifers Tigers VBQs Set 02

ABOUT THE POET

Adrienne Rich (May 16, 1929 - March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and radical feminist. She was called as one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century and was credited with bringing the oppression of women to the forefront of poetic discourse.

SUMMARY

The poet starts with Aunt Jennifer’s visual tapestry of tigers who are fearless animals and they stay valiant in their environment. They are vibrant, coloured living in rich green environment. These tigers are living life with majesty as one would expect the tigers from the forests. There is a certainty and confidence in the way these tigers move.

But Aunt Jennifer is weak, feeble and captivated in contrast to the tigers she was knitting. She is suffering from physical and mental trauma. When Aunt Jennifer says that she finds the ivory needle hard to pull she knits to reveal that she is facing hardship and trouble in her life. Her life has been tiring and hurtful and that her unhappy married life is overbearing and demanding. She even feels that the ring on her finger is a burdensome weight, which denotes that her husband is making her life miserable. She feels that her inner soul has been prisoned by the patriarchal society.

The poet in the last stanza brings in the contrasting picture. When she would die her hands will still reflect the terrors she lived in her life. Throughout her lifetime she suffered. But at the same time her tigers will remain the same courageous, fearless, free which would just be in contrast to the life she lived. They will hold the fort as the reflecting force against the male dominated society.

Question. What are the difficulties that Aunt Jennifer faced in her life?
Answer: Aunt Jennifer lived her life in accordance with the rules laid down by her domineering husband. Her life was overburdened by the demands and duties of her married life and the patriarchal society. It lacked self-expression. Although old and weak, she had to face the ordeals of her oppressive marriage all her life, there was no escape from her husband.

Question. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?
Answer: Unlike Aunt Jennifer, who feels trapped in a loveless and unhappy marriage, who is terrified of her domineering husband and the patriarchal society, her tigers prance around freely, full of confidence, fearless of the men watching them. The tigers seem to possess all the qualities, which Aunt Jennifer does not.

Question. How does Aunt Jennifer express her bitterness and anger against male dominance? 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer expresses her bitterness and anger against male dominance through her art; by knitting tigers on the panel which symbolise freedom, strength and chivalry.

Question. What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead? 
Answer: Unlike Aunt Jennifer, her tigers are free from inhibitions. They are liberated and fear no one. After her death, while Aunt Jennifer will continue to be ‘weighed’ down by the constraints of her marriage, her tigers will go on prancing confidently and unafraid.

Question. What lies heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand? How is it associated with her husband ? 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer’s wedding band sits heavily on her hand. The weighty wedding band is symbol of all the constraints of married life Aunt Jennifer has had faced being married to a domineering husband.

Question. Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel ? 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because secretly, she wanted to be like the tigers-fearless, proud, unafraid and liberated.

Question. How do the words, ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of Aunt Jennifer’s tigers? 
Answer: ‘Denizens’ and ‘Chivalric’ describe Aunt Jennifer’s tigers as bold and fearless tigers, who prance around confidently in their natural habitat. Sleek and gallant in their movements, the tigers are certain of themselves.

Question. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? 
Answer: “Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen, .... They do not fear the men beneath the tree; they pace in sleek chivalric certainty.” The tigers are so different from Aunt’s own character because they are an expression of her hidden desires. Through them, Aunt Jennifer communicates her unfulfilled wishes.

Question. How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits of tigers do they reveal? 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are woolen tapestry, which she intricately embroidered on a screen with the help of an ivory needle. She made the tigers to appear as fearless creatures, proud and free, prancing fearlessly unafraid of the men standing underneath the tree.

Question. Describe the tigers created by Aunt Jennifer. 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer’s tiger are described as bright topaz denizens of a world of green, pacing in chivalric certainty, fearless. They are proud, strong and free.

Question. Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel ? 
Answer:
Answer: Refer to answer explaining that Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because secretly, she wanted to be like the tigers-fearless, proud, unafraid and liberated.

Question. How does the poet describe Aunt Jennifer’s tigers ? 
Answer: The poet describes Aunt Jennifer’s tigers as topaz, bright-eyed denizens, prancing with sleek and chivalric certainty. The tigers are free and fearless.

Question. Aunt Jennifer’s efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile. Comment. 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer is an obedient wife, often dominated by her husband. Her efforts to get rid of her fear of an unhappy and terrifying marriage proves to be futile because she would have to wear the ‘weighty’ wedding ring, which has made her feel trapped all her life, even when she is dead. In other words, there is no escaping the male dominated society or the ordeals of tyrannous marriage for Aunt Jennifer, even after death.

Question. What picture of male chauvinism (tyranny) do we find in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ ? 
Answer: The poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’, shows constraints of married life every woman experiences. It shows lack of freedom for Aunt Jennifer, who is forced to live in accordance with rules laid down by her husband. Uncle’s wedding band, which sits ‘heavily’ upon Aunt Jennifer’s finger, symbolises oppressive behaviour of the patriarchal society. Aunt Jennifer feels that she would escape the ordeals of her tyrannous marriage once she is dead. However, such a thought is futile because the patriarchal society would not permit her to take off the wedding band even after death. Therefore, it is suffice to say that she is a victim of male chauvinism.

Question. How does the poet show the futility of Aunt Jennifer’s efforts ? 
Answer: The poet shows the futility of Aunt Jennifer’s efforts by pointing towards her fluttering fingers, which find the ivory needle hard to pull. During her death, she would have to continue to wear her wedding band.

Question. What is suggested by the phrase, ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’?
Answer: The phrase ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’ refers to the burden of an oppressive marriage in which Aunt Jennifer was trapped. The wedding band is also symbol of bondage; Aunt is bound to her dominating husband by marriage because of her wedding vows. She can’t escape this male dominated society even after she is dead. As a dutiful wife, she must continue to be devoted to her husband.

Question. Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals that are so different from her own character? 
Answer:
Answer: Refer to answer explaining that the tigers are so different from Aunt’s own character because they are an expression of her hidden desires. Through them, Aunt Jennifer communicates her unfulfilled wishes.

Question. What will happen when Aunt Jennifer is dead? 
Answer: When Aunt Jennifer is dead, she will continue to suffer because she will not be free from her marital bondage. But, her struggle for freedom will continue through the prancing tigers on the panel.

Question. How is Aunt Jennifer different from her tigers? 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer is scared, oppressed and has no freedom in her married life because of her husband’s authority. There is a stark contrast between her and the tigers’ nature. The tigers are free and fearless in the presence of men; they prance around with confidence.

Question. For Aunt Jennifer, what do the tigers symbolise? 
Answer: Aunt Jennifer, lived an unhappy life in constant fear of her authoritative husband and the fact that she would never be freed not even after her death. Therefore, for her, the tigers symbolised fearlessness, confidence and freedom, something she lacked but hoped to possess.

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 the tigers called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers ?
Answer: The tigers are called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers because she embroidered them herself.

Question. How are they described here?
Answer: The tigers are described as bright topaz denizens of the world of green, who prance around fearlessly and with sleek, chivalric certainty.

Question. How are they different from Aunt Jennifer?
Answer: The tigers are different from Aunt Jennifer because unlike her, they do not fear the men. The tigers prance with a certainty in their presence.

Question. What does the word, ‘chivalric’ mean? 
Answer: ‘Chivalric’ means polite and kind behaviour that shows a sense of honour, specially towards women.

Question. Why are the tigers called ‘Aunt Jennifer’s tigers’?
Answer: The tigers are called ‘Aunt Jennifer’s tigers’ because they are her creation. Aunt Jennifer embroidered the tigers on a screen.

Question. What does the phrase, ‘a world of green’ mean ?
Answer: ‘A world of green’ means green forest, the natural habitat of the tigers.

Question. How are the tigers different from their creator?
Answer: Unlike Aunt Jennifer, the tigers are fearless, confident and free.

Question. Why are the tigers not afraid of the men beneath the trees? 
Answer: The tigers are ‘denizens of a world of green’. They are wild beasts. Therefore, they do not fear the men beneath the trees.

Question. How are aunt Jennifer’s tigers described ?
Answer: The tigers are described as bright topaz denizens of a world of green, prancing in chivalric certainty fearlessly.

Question. Why are they described as denizens of a world of green ?
Answer: The tigers are the natives of dense green forests.

Question. Why are they not afraid of the men ? 
Answer: They are ferocious, strong and fearless by nature.