Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
By- Adrienne Rich
Read the following extracts and answer the questions given below:
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.
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
Ans. The poem is ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers and the poet is Adrienne Rich.
(b)What are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers doing? How do they look like?
Ans. The Tigers are seen prancing on the screen. They are yellow like topaz (a precious stone).
(c)Where do they live? Who are they not afraid of?
Ans. They live in green forests. They are fearless and are not afraid of the men beneath the tree.
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
(a)What were Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through?
Ans. Her fingers were fluttering through her wool.
(b)How was she pulling the needle?
Ans. She was pulling the needle with a lot of difficulties.
(c)What did Aunt Jennifer have on her hand? What was the problem with that object?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer had her husband’s wedding band on her finger. The problem was that his band lay heavily on her hand because it was a symbol of the difficulties and hardships that she had borne in her married life.
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
(a)Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands called ‘terrified’?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer has led a very suppressed life and probably has faced a lot of hardships and difficulties. Her hands are terrified due to the fear generated in her life by the dominating males.
(b) What are they still ringed with?
Ans. They still seem to carry the burden of hardships and difficult times which troubled her when she was alive.
(c)What will happen to the Tigers after her death?
Ans. Even after Aunt’s death, the Tigers will continue to jump about, feeling proud and unafraid.
4 .Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen, [Delhi 2017]
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree:
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
(a)Why are the tigers called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers?
Ans. Since aunt Jennifer is embroidering the motif of the tiger on a panel, they are referred to like hers.
(b) How are they described here?
Ans. They are described as having topaz coloured fir. They are sleek, brave, fearless and confident.
(c)How are they different from Aunt Jennifer?
Ans. While aunt Jennifer is timid, weak, burdened and overpowered by her marital ordeals, the Tigers are sleek, brave, fearless and confident.
(d)What does the word’ chivalric’ mean?
Ans. Chivalric means brave.
5. Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool [All India 2017]
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.
(a)What is Aunt Jennifer doing with her wool?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer is working on an embroidery panel creating tigers.
(b) Why does she find it difficult to pull her ivory needle?
Ans. She is unhappy in her married life. She is fearful and has lost confidence in herself.
(c)What does ‘wedding band’ stand for?
Ans. The wedding band stands for the oppressive control of her husband over her w has taken away her freedom and independence.
(d)Describe the irony in the third line.
Ans. The wedding band is a symbol of conjugal happiness but ironically, for aunt Jennifer, it has become a burden.
6. They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
(a) Why do the Tigers not fear the men beneath the tree?
(b) What do you understand by ‘chivalric certainty’?
(c) How do tigers conduct themselves?
(d) Find out the oxymoron between Aunt Jennifer’s real life and that finds reflection on her creation.
Ans. (a) The Tigers do not fear the men beneath the tree because they are fearless creatures who are very confident of their power and strength.
(b) ‘Chivalric certainty’ refers to the sense of confidence and chivalry that the Tigers possess. They are very confident about their power and strength.
(c) Tigers conduct themselves in a chivalric manner. They are heroic, bold and confident.
(d) Aunt Jennifer herself is very submissive and subdued in her real life. But her creations in the form of the tigers are just the opposite of what she was in her real life. The tigers that she made are fearless and confident.
Want to Read More Check Below:-
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers- About the Author
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers- Theme & Message
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers- Chapter Nutshell & Literary Devices
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers- Short & Detailed Summary
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers- Multiple Choice Questions in Quiz
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers- Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type
