Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Stanza wise Summary & Analysis

in English Class 12

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Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers was written by Adrienne Rich

Introduction

The poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers was written by Adrienne

Rich who is one of the significant figures of feminist

movement during the 20th century.

As the title suggests, the poem is about an old married

lady (who is trapped in a male-dominating marriage) and

her art which helps her to escape from her unhappy

marriage.

The poem has been divided into three stanzas having four

lines each.
In the first stanza, the poet explains the nature of tigers

i.e. bold, fearless and free.

In the second stanza, the poet explains the nature of the

artist i.e. Aunt Jennifer who is totally opposite of her art

i.e. trapped, frightened and pain-bearing.

The last stanza, compares the life of the artist i.e. Aunt

Jennifer and that of her art.

The poet concludes that though Aunt Jennifer has suffered

throughout her life because of her failed marriage and will

suffer in her afterlife as well, her art will remain fearless,

proud and everlasting.

When we read this poem again and again, we find that the

poet is indirectly referring to the power of art. For the poet,

women can escape from their unhappy life by using their

capabilities. Unlike humans, art has no boundaries or

limitations. So, basically, the poet is trying to encourage

women to raise voice against their slavery by expressing

themselves in art.

Poem

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 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.

In this stanza, the poet talks about the artist i.e. Aunt Jennifer

and her condition which is on contrary to that of her tigers.

According to the poet, Aunt Jennifer’s

finger flutters through her wool (which she uses for craving

the tigers). The word ‘flutter; is used for birds which means

flapping the wings quickly. Here, it refers to the inability of

Aunt Jennifer to use her fingers.

It is difficult and hard for her to pull the ivory needle. It

looks like she is facing problems while carving the tigers.

There are probably two reasons for that. Either her husband

does not allow her to do that or she has become weak to

psychological problems (of her failed marriage).

The next two lines are very important as they depict the

reality. According to the poet, the massive weight of Uncle’s

wedding band sits heavily upon the hand of Aunt

Jennifer. A band is not that heavy. So, the poet is referring to

something psychological.

The poet uses “Uncle’s wedding band” which means he is

dominating the life of Aunt Jennifer. In addition, as the band

is heavy, it means she is bearing the weight of her filed

marriage which she cannot escape. This depicts the reality of

woman’s condition during 20th century. A woman had to bear

the problems of marriage because she had nowhere to go. The

poet throws light on this aspect of society.

Aunt Jennifer finds difficult to carve the tigers due to the fear

of her husband and the psychological problems. Yet, she

manages to carve it.

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.

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.

IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION

Read the stanzas given below and answer the

questions that follow each:

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.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet of these lines.

(b) What are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers doing? How do they

look like?

(c) Where do they live? Are they fearless? Give an

example.

(d) How do they pace?

Answers:

(а) The poem is Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers. The poet is

Adrienne Rich.

(b) They are jumping across a screen or a wall. They

look like shining yellow topaz.

(c) They live in green forests. They are fearless. They

don’t fear the men under the tree.

(d) They run with a well-groomed, honourable

confidence.
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.

Questions

(a)What were Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering

through?

(b)How was she pulling the needle?

(c)What was lying heavily? Where?

(d)What was upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand? How did it sit

there?

Answers:

(a) Aunt Jennifer’s fingers were fluttering through her

wool.

(b) She was finding even the ivory needle hard to pull.
(c) The weight of Uncle’s wedding band was lying

heavily on her hand.

(d) There was uncle’s wedding band upon Aunt

Jennifer’s hand. It sat heavily there.

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

(a) Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands called ‘terrified’’?

(b) What are they still ringed with?

(c) Where did she make the tigers?

(d) What will happen to her tigers after her death?

Answers:
(а) Her hands are called terrified because they passed

through very hard and bitter experience of married life.

(b) They are still ringed with those hard and testing

difficulties which possessed her dining her life.

(c) She made the tigers in the panel.

(d) Her tigers will go on jumping ahead, proud and

unafraid even after her death.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our

understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?

Ans: Like all beasts of prey, the tigers are the denizens

of the forest. They live far away from human

settlements. They are called ‘chivalric.’ This indicates

the majestic and honourable position that they occupy in

the world of animals. So, the use of the words ‘denizens’

and ‘chivalric’ adds to our understanding of the tiger’s

attitudes.

Q2. 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?

Ans: Aunt Jennifer is weaving tigers on the panel. Her

hands are moving about her wool. She is finding the

needle quite hard to pull. The weight of years of her

married life is lying heavy on her hand. This makes the

pulling of the neddle so hard.

Q3. What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of

uncle’s wedding band’?

Ans: It suggests the weight of the harsh and tough

experience of Aunt Jennifer’s married life. The image is

quite suggestive. The wedding band is symbolic. It

represents the unbreakable bond of marriage between

the husband and the wife.

Q4. Of what or whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the

third stanza?

Ans: In the third stanza, the poet refers to Aunt

Jennifer’s ‘terrified hands’. The old unhappy memories

are still fresh in her mind. She had passed through many

testing and horrible times during her married life. These

ordeals crushed and suppressed her. Their effect is still

visible. So, she is still ringed with those ordeals that

dominated her life.

Q5. What are the ‘ordeals’ Aunt Jennifer is surrounded

by? Why is it significant that the” poet uses the word

‘ringed”! What are the different meanings of ‘ringed’ in

the poem?

Ans: The poem addresses the experiences of marriage

in the midst of constrictions. The word ‘ringed’ is

significant. It suggests that the vicious grip or her

unhappy married life is still holding her tightly. The word

‘ringed’ has been used in two ways. First is the

conventional

use. Here ring is a symbol of the sacred bond of

marriage. The other is the figurative use of ‘ringed’. It

means encircled or surrounded.

Q6. 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?

Ans: The tigers are ‘prancing’. They pace in ‘sleek

chivalric certainty’. They ‘do not fear’ the men beneath

the tree. Thus, they are symbols of strength, fierceness

and beauty. Aunt Jennifer, on the other hand, is weak

and terrified. Her hands are finding it difficult to pull

through her wool. The massive weight of the wedding

band sits heavily on her hand. Her terrified hands are

still ringed by the ordeals of married life. The contrast

heightens the intensity.

Q7. Interpret the symbols found in this poem.

Ans: Adrienne Rich’s ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, is rich in

symbolism. ‘The massive weight of wedding band’

symbolises ordeals, hardships and worries of married

life. ‘Terrified hands’, and ‘ringed with ordeals’ also

indicate those unpleasant experiences that are still

clinging to Aunt Jennifer physically and mentally. ,

Q8. Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the

attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer?

Ans: Yes, we do sympathise with Aunt Jennifer. She has

experienced hardships and ordeals during her married

life. The attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer is

equally sympathetic. The poet gives many suggestive

images and symbols to present an old lady who has

passed through painful experiences as well as

unpleasant and terrifying periods during her married life.

 MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40

words)

Q1. What do you learn about^Aunt Jennifer’s tigers on

reading the poem?

Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers were created in the panel by her

own hands. They appeared to be prancing (jumping) across a

screen. They looked sleek. They were bright like yellow topaz.

They were majestic and courageous. They didn’t fear the

men beneath the tree. They paced in ‘chivalric certainty’.

Q2. How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What

traits of tigers do they reveal!

Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are her own creations. She

works with wool and ivory needles. She has created

them in the panel. They have all the traits of the beasts

of prey who are denizens of green forests. They are well-

built and well-groomed. They are chivalric and full of

confidence.

Q3. What difficulty does Aunt Jennifer face while

making her tigers and why ?

Ans: Aunt Jennifer is making her tigers in the panels.

She is using ivory needles. Her fingers are fluttering

through the wool. She finds it difficult (hard) to pull even

the ivory needles. The reason is obvious. The weight of

unhappy and unfortunate experiences of her married life

sits heavily on her hands.

Q4. What is the weight that lies heavy on Aunt

Jennifer’s hand? Hou: is it associated with her

husband?

Ans: Aunt Jennifer is working with ivory needles and

wool. But she can’t move her fingers freely in the wool.

She finds it hard to pull even the ivory needles easily.

The experiences

of her past married life are quite bitter. She has

unpleasant memories of her married life with her

husband. The heavy weight of the wedding band sits

heavily upon her hand.

Q5. How will Aunt Jennifer’s hands look when she is

dead?

Ans: When Aunt Jennifer dies, her hands will still look

terrified. Perhaps she has experienced a lot of hardships

and troubles in the past. Their effect has left its print on

her hands. The ordeals that crushed her married life had

sorrounded and cramped her fingers and hands too.

Q6. What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when

she is dead?

Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will survive her. She has

created the tigers in a panel. They are made of wool.

These objects of art will survive their creator. The tigers

will go on jumping, proud and unafraid.

Q7. Describe the poetic devices used in the poem Aunt

Jennifer’s Tigers’.

Ans: Adrienne Rich’s Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ a beautiful

short poem rich in symbolism and imagery. The

mataphor ‘bright topaz’ depicts the shining yellow

complexion of her tigers. The effective use of alliteration

in ‘sleek, chivalric certainty’ describes the pace of the

tigers effectively. ‘The massive weight of wedding band’

symbolises ordeals and hardships of Aunt Jennifer’s

married fife. The images ‘terrified hands’ and ‘ringed

with ordeal’ create the effect of oppression and terror as

well as captivity.

Q8. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?

[All India 2014]

Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are a picture of strength,

beauty and certainty. They seem to be jumping across a

screen. They “pace in sleek chivalric certainty”. They are

confident and impressive. Aunt Jennifer is a weak,

depressed and terrified person. Life has been a cup of

woes for her. She is still in the grip of those ordeals and

terrors that she faced and suffered from dining her

married life. Her fingers are so ‘terrified’ that they find it

hard to pull even the ivory needle. Thus, the contrast is

amply highlighted.

Q9. What are the difficulties that Aunt Jennifer faced in

her life? [Delhi 2014]

Ans: The fife of Aunt Jennifer was overburdened by the

duties of her married life. Hardships and sufferings were

the parts bf her married fife. She had to face oppression

by her husband even though she was old and weak.