NCERT English Class 12 | Chapter 14 | Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers | Question Answer |

THINK IT OUT                                                                                                PAGE 104

1. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?

Answer: The tigers, like the beasts of prey, are forest dwellers. They are regarded as 'chivalric' because they reside far away from human populations. This emphasises their honourable and magnificent status in the animal kingdom. Thus, the phrases 'chivalric' and 'denizens' add to our understanding of the tiger's mentality.

2. 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: On a panel, Aunt Jennifer is weaving the tigers. Pulling the needle is tough for her as her hands move around the yarn. Her hand is heavy with the weight of years of marriage, making it difficult to lift the needle.

3. What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?

Answer: The image of the ‘massive weight of Uncle's wedding band' reflects the weight of Aunt Jennifer's difficult and unpleasant married life experience. The wedding band is symbolic, and the image is suggestive. It represents the unshakable marriage relationship between the wife and the husband.

4. Of what or of whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified with in the third stanza?

Answer: In the third verse, the poet mentions Aunt Jennifer's "terrified hands." Her mind is still filled with terrible recollections from the past. She has been through a lot of bad moments and tribulations in her married life. These ordeals suffocated and crushed her, and the consequences can still be seen. She is enslaved by the trials that have controlled her life.

5. 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: In the midst of constrictions, the poet addresses his matrimonial experiences. The phrase 'ringed' implies that her bad marriage or nasty grip on her is still in place. The term 'ringed' has two meanings. The first is the traditional meaning of the ring, which is that it symbolises the holy connection of marriage. The second way is to use the word 'ringed' in a figurative sense, which meaning surrounded or encircled.

6. 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: The tigers appear to be 'prancing.' They stride with 'sleek chivalric assurance' and 'do not fear' the gentlemen beneath the tree. As a result, they are emblems of beauty, ferocity, and strength. Aunt Jennifer, on the other hand, is afraid and frail. Pulling the needles through the wool is proving difficult for her hands. Her hands are swollen from the weight of her wedding band. The sufferings of her marital life are still ringing in her scared palms. Because of the contrast, the intensity is amplified.

7. Interpret the symbols found in this poem.

Answer: Adrienne Rich's 'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers' is full of meaning. The worry, pains, and ordeals of married life are symbolised by the huge weight of the wedding band. 'Ringed with ordeals' and 'terrified hands' underscore Aunt Jennifer's painful memories, both mentally and physically.

8. Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer?

Answer: Yes, we sympathise with Aunt Jennifer because she has been through a lot during her marriage. Aunt Jennifer is treated with sympathy by the speaker. The poet uses a variety of intriguing symbols and imagery to portray a woman who has gone through terrible and unpleasant moments as well as painful situations during her married life.


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14. Aunt Jennifer's Tigers Question Answer

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