6. AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGER BY ADRIENNE RICH

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COMPLETE SOLUTION OF THE POEM 'AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGER' 


(A) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                   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.

Q1. Name the poem and the poet.
Ans:- The poem is ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger’ and the poet is Adrienne Rich.

Q2. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers described?
Ans:- Aunt Jennifer’s tigers have been described as golden yellow in colour. They appear bold and fearless as they prance across a screen in sleek chivalric certainty.

Q3. Why are they not afraid of men?
Ans:- Indeed Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are the symbol of strength. They don’t feel fear from men because they are strong, bold and quite fearless.

Q4. Illustrate the meaning of ‘prance’.
Ans:- ‘Prance’ means to move or jump over with large movement, in a happiness way.

(B) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

                “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 hands.”

Q1. Why Aunt’s fingers are fluttering?
Ans:- Aunt’s fingers flutter because she is feared and traumatized by the constraints of her married life.

Q2. Why is the wedding band described as ‘massive’?
Ans:- Aunt Jennifer feels burdened by the weight of her married responsibilities. She feels under the fetter of married life that couldn’t be described. The ‘massive, wedding band exerts heavy pressure on her hands. It also symbolizes her bondage.

Q3. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created images different from her character?
Ans:- In fact, tigers are a symbol of strength. They are fearless and confident. In the poem Aunt Jennifer yearns for her freedom from married life. She wants to be free and fearless like tigers in the forests, and that’s why she creates images of the bright topaz tigers.

           (C) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

                         “When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will die.
                           Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
                                The tigers in the panel that she made
                            Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.”

Q1. Who is the aunt mentioned here?
Ans:- In the poem aunt is mentioned as Aunt Jennifer, an enrich character of the poet Adrienne Rich. She is a woman going through unpleasant experiences in her married life.

Q2. Why is Aunt Jennifer ‘ringed with ordeals’?
Ans:- The ring which is in the finger of Aunt’s hand or wedding band that shows, aunt is under the responsibilities of married life but she wants freedom from this. 
         
Q3. What is the difference between Aunt Jennifer and her tigers?
Ans:- Aunt Jennifer is quite weak whereas tigers are strong, fearless, bold and powerful. She is under the burden of married life while tigers are free to move in the forests.

Q4.Why has Aunt Jennifer created the tigers so different from her own character?
Ans:- The tigers have been created by Aunt Jennifer to show her desire to live free like the tigers. It shows that she doesn’t like to live under the responsibilities of married life, she wants to be bold and fearless like tigers.

                                                       FROM OUT OF STANZA

Q1. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?
Ans:- These both following words which have been taken from the poem, ‘denizens’ means animals from any particular place and another one is ‘chivalric’ means fearless and bold. Thus these both words reveal tigers’ attitude of living in a particular place with fearless way.

Q2. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wool’ in the second stanza? Why is she finding needle so hard to pull?
Ans:- Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wools and she is finding the needle so hard to pull because her married life has stolen her every momentous enjoyable moment from her. She realizes herself under the burdened of marriage life and its responsibilities. Her hands are so busy in domestic works.

Q3. What is suggested by this image ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’?
Ans:- ‘Massive weight of uncle’s wedding suggests that the life of Aunt has become like useless as if someone has stolen her spirit from Aunt’s body. There is a ring in Aunt’s finger that shows she isn’t free from the domestic responsibilities.

Q4. Interpret the symbols found in this poem.
Ans:- There are many symbols used in the poem. ‘Tigers’ are a symbol of strength and fearlessness. ‘Ring’ is another symbol that presents bondage of married life. And the last one is ‘Wedding band’ that presents the responsibilities for married one.

         Q5. Do you sympathies with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker          towards Aunt Jennifer? 
                        
Ans:- Of course, we do. Aunt Jennifer here represents those women of our society who are tortured by the male dominated society. She feels under someone and a lot of burdened of domestic works where she doesn’t feel free.   



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