NCERT Flamingo – Class 12 English Core
Poem 5: Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Adrienne Rich
Page 99 – Think It Out
Q1. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?
Answer:
The word denizens means inhabitants, suggesting that the tigers belong confidently to the forest. They are not intruders but natural lords of their environment. The word chivalric shows their nobility, elegance, and fearless self-assurance. Together, these words emphasise that the tigers embody qualities of strength, dignity, and fearlessness — qualities Aunt Jennifer lacks in her own life.
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?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer’s fluttering fingers suggest her nervousness, weakness, and lack of freedom. The needle is hard to pull because the weight of patriarchal oppression — symbolised by the heavy wedding band — restricts her. The image reveals her physical frailty and emotional suppression under her husband’s authority.
Q3. What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?
Answer:
The wedding band symbolises the institution of marriage, which for Aunt Jennifer is oppressive rather than liberating. Its “massive weight” represents the burden of male dominance, loss of independence, and gender inequality. The phrase suggests that her marriage has become a heavy chain, restraining her spirit and creativity.
Q4. Of what or of whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the third stanza?
Answer:
She is terrified of the ordeals of her married life and of her husband’s authority. Even after her death, her hands will still symbolically bear the marks of fear, showing how deeply patriarchy has controlled and subdued 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 meanings of the word ‘ringed’ in the poem?
Answer:
The ordeals are the hardships and struggles Aunt Jennifer faced due to male dominance in marriage. The word ringed is significant because it has multiple meanings:
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Literally: her finger is ringed with the wedding band.
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Figuratively: she is encircled and trapped by patriarchal ordeals.
Thus, ringed suggests both the physical symbol of marriage and the metaphorical prison of oppression.
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?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer creates tigers that are fearless, proud, and powerful, while she herself is timid, oppressed, and weak. This contrast highlights the difference between her inner desires and her external reality. The poet suggests that women, though outwardly subdued by patriarchy, still nurture inner dreams of freedom and strength. Art becomes Aunt Jennifer’s way of expressing what she cannot live.
Q7. Interpret the symbols found in this poem.
Answer:
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Tigers: Symbolise strength, courage, and freedom — qualities women desire.
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Wedding band: Symbol of patriarchal control and marital oppression.
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Embroidery/Panel: Symbol of creative expression, a space where Aunt Jennifer projects her unfulfilled desires.
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Fluttering hands: Symbol of weakness, fear, and suppression.
Q8. Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer?
Answer:
Yes, the poem invites deep sympathy for Aunt Jennifer, who suffers silently under patriarchal authority. The speaker’s attitude is empathetic and critical of social structures that deny women freedom. The tone is compassionate, exposing the oppression and celebrating her art as an act of resistance.
Extra Questions & Answers
Long Questions
Q1. How does Adrienne Rich contrast Aunt Jennifer’s life with the tigers she creates?
Answer:
Adrienne Rich presents a striking contrast between Aunt Jennifer’s timid, oppressed existence and the bold, fearless tigers she embroiders. Aunt Jennifer is weak, her fingers fluttering nervously as she pulls the needle. The heavy wedding band symbolises her marital burdens and the patriarchal domination that suppresses her individuality. She is terrified, subdued, and unable to assert herself.
By contrast, her tigers are bright, elegant, and chivalric. They move with dignity, unafraid of men. These tigers symbolise qualities that Aunt Jennifer desires but cannot live: courage, independence, and fearlessness. The artwork thus becomes a form of escape and resistance, where she expresses the strength denied to her in real life.
The poet suggests that though women may be suppressed outwardly, their creativity keeps their inner desires alive. While Aunt Jennifer’s body will remain ringed with ordeals even after death, her tigers will continue to prance proudly, symbolising eternal freedom. This contrast makes the poem a critique of patriarchy and a celebration of women’s resilience.
Q2. Explain the significance of the wedding band in the poem.
Answer:
The “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band” is a central symbol in the poem. Literally, it refers to Aunt Jennifer’s marital ring. Figuratively, it represents the heavy burden of patriarchy. Instead of symbolising love, the wedding band becomes a chain of oppression, restricting her independence.
It sits heavily on her hand, making even simple tasks like embroidery difficult. This shows how her creativity is restrained by marriage. Even after her death, her hands will remain “ringed with ordeals,” suggesting that patriarchy leaves permanent marks on women’s lives.
By using this image, Adrienne Rich critiques how marriage in patriarchal societies often enslaves women instead of empowering them. The wedding band, meant to symbolise union, here symbolises subjugation.
Q3. What message does Adrienne Rich convey through the poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers?
Answer:
The poem conveys a powerful feminist message. It highlights the oppression of women in patriarchal marriages, where they are denied freedom, burdened by responsibilities, and silenced by fear. Aunt Jennifer symbolises all such women whose creativity and individuality are subdued.
At the same time, the poem celebrates women’s inner strength. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers, fearless and proud, represent the qualities women desire and express through art. While Aunt Jennifer herself is weak and oppressed, her tigers live on after her death, continuing to symbolise courage and independence.
Adrienne Rich suggests that patriarchy cannot completely suppress women. Their creativity and imagination survive, leaving behind symbols of defiance and hope. The poem thus critiques gender inequality while affirming women’s resilience.
Short Questions (2–3 lines)
Q1. What do Aunt Jennifer’s tigers symbolise?
Fearlessness, power, and independence — qualities denied to Aunt Jennifer in real life.
Q2. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands fluttering?
They reflect her nervousness, weakness, and the burden of patriarchal oppression.
Q3. What does the phrase “ringed with ordeals” suggest?
It means Aunt Jennifer’s life is encircled by marital hardships and oppression, leaving permanent marks even after death.
Q4. How does Aunt Jennifer resist oppression?
Through her art — embroidery — she creates tigers that symbolise the courage she cannot live.