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Class 12 English Poetry|Chapter 6|Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
Short Type Question and Answer
1. Who is the poet of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”?
Ans: Adrienne Rich.
2. What are the tigers in the poem a symbol of?
Ans: The tigers symbolize strength, freedom, and courage, contrasting with Aunt Jennifer’s own oppressed and fearful life.
3. How does the poet describe the tigers?
Ans: The tigers are described as “prancing” across a screen, bright topaz creatures living in a world of green, and unafraid of men beneath the tree.
4. What difficulty does Aunt Jennifer face while working on her embroidery?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s fingers are fluttering and struggling to pull the needle through the wool, which shows her physical weakness.
5. What is the significance of the wedding band in the poem?
Ans: The wedding band represents the oppressive weight of Aunt Jennifer’s marriage, which is described as massive and burdensome.
6. How does Aunt Jennifer feel about her marriage?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer feels oppressed and fearful in her marriage, as indicated by her struggling hands and the heavy weight of the wedding band.
7. What happens to Aunt Jennifer when she dies?
Ans: When Aunt Jennifer dies, her hands will remain still, still wearing the wedding ring, which symbolizes the oppression she endured throughout her life.
8. How do the tigers behave in contrast to Aunt Jennifer?
Ans: The tigers are fearless, proud, and confident, while Aunt Jennifer is depicted as weak and fearful, unable to express freedom.
9. What is the tone of the poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”?
Ans: The tone of the poem is one of sadness and resignation, highlighting the oppression and struggles faced by women in marriage.
10. What is the ultimate fate of the tigers in the poem?
Ans: The tigers will continue to prance and be proud even after Aunt Jennifer’s death, symbolizing the persistence of freedom and strength despite the struggles of the oppressed.
Long Type Answer & Questions
1. Explain the contrast between Aunt Jennifer and the tigers in the poem.
Ans: The contrast between Aunt Jennifer and the tigers is stark and symbolic. While Aunt Jennifer is described as weak, oppressed, and fearful of the world around her, the tigers represent strength, freedom, and courage. The tigers, prancing across the screen with “sleek chivalric certainty,” symbolize qualities that Aunt Jennifer longs for but cannot achieve in her own life. The tigers are unafraid, living without constraint, while Aunt Jennifer’s life is burdened with the oppressive weight of her marriage. This contrast highlights the restrictions placed on women, particularly in traditional marriages, and their longing for liberation.
2. How does the poet use symbolism in “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” to convey the theme of oppression and freedom?
Ans: The poet uses symbolism effectively to convey the theme of oppression and freedom. The tigers are a symbol of strength, freedom, and boldness. They live in a world of “green,” a symbol of vitality and freedom, and are “unafraid,” representing qualities that Aunt Jennifer cannot possess in her real life. On the other hand, Aunt Jennifer’s hands and the wedding band symbolize oppression and restriction. The “massive weight” of the wedding band is a metaphor for the societal and marital pressures that restrict her. Even after her death, Aunt Jennifer’s hands are “ringed with ordeals” she was mastered by, signifying that her suffering will persist even in death, while the tigers continue to prance proudly, representing the enduring spirit of freedom.
3. Discuss the significance of the title “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers.”
Ans: The title “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” is significant as it centers on the contrast between Aunt Jennifer’s life and the tigers she creates. The tigers, which Aunt Jennifer embroiders, are an expression of her hidden desires for strength and freedom. While Aunt Jennifer herself is constrained by her oppressive marriage, the tigers are free, bold, and unafraid. The title emphasizes the juxtaposition of her inner strength, represented by the tigers, with her external weakness and oppression. The tigers are also a form of escape for Aunt Jennifer, allowing her to express the courage she lacks in her own life through her art. The title reflects her deep yearning for a life of independence and power.
4. How does Aunt Jennifer’s embroidery reflect her emotional state?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s embroidery reflects her emotional state of fear, weakness, and oppression. The tigers she creates are strong and bold, yet the act of embroidery itself is physically difficult for her. Her “fluttering” fingers and struggle with the needle suggest that she is not in control of her life. The contrast between the vitality of the tigers she embroiders and her physical frailty highlights her emotional and physical suppression. The act of creating these tigers represents her attempt to escape the constraints of her life, yet the difficulty she faces while doing so underscores her inability to fully express or live out her desires for strength and freedom.
5. How does the imagery in “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” contribute to the theme of the poem?
Ans: The imagery in “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” plays a crucial role in conveying the theme of oppression and the contrast between inner strength and outward weakness. The “prancing” tigers symbolize freedom, power, and grace, standing in stark contrast to Aunt Jennifer’s “fluttering” fingers and the “massive weight” of her wedding band. The description of the tigers in a “world of green” and their “chivalric certainty” emphasize their vitality and boldness, while Aunt Jennifer’s struggle to pull the needle reflects her lack of freedom and strength. These vivid images reinforce the poem’s exploration of how women’s roles in marriage often confine them, despite their inner desires for strength and independence.
6. What is the role of Aunt Jennifer’s death in the poem, and how does it contribute to the overall message?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s death in the poem symbolizes the enduring nature of her oppression. Even in death, her hands will remain “ringed with ordeals,” signifying that the burdens of her life continue to define her, even beyond the grave. The idea that the tigers she embroidered will continue to “prance” after her death suggests that the symbols of strength and freedom she longed for will persist, even though she herself was unable to live that life. This contributes to the overall message that the struggle for liberation, particularly for women, is a long and often unfulfilled one, but that the desire for freedom and strength never truly dies. Aunt Jennifer’s death symbolizes the unending cycle of oppression, but the tigers represent hope and the possibility of freedom that outlives her.
Comment Type Question and Answer
1. Why is the title “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” significant?
Ans: The title “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” is significant because it centers the poem around Aunt Jennifer’s creation of the tigers, which symbolize her unfulfilled desires for strength and freedom. The tigers are bold and free, contrasting with Aunt Jennifer’s own repressed and oppressed existence. The title emphasizes how Aunt Jennifer expresses her inner longing for freedom through her art, even though she is physically and emotionally constrained by her marriage. The tigers, despite Aunt Jennifer’s death, continue to live on, symbolizing the persistence of hope for liberation, even after a life of suffering.
2. What does the title “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” reveal about the poem’s theme?
Ans: The title “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” reveals that the poem focuses on the contrast between Aunt Jennifer’s real-life oppression and her inner desires for freedom and power. The tigers she creates in her embroidery represent the qualities of strength, boldness, and independence that she lacks in her life. The title suggests that while Aunt Jennifer lives a constrained and fearful life, her art provides her with a form of escape, expressing her repressed desires for freedom and strength.
