Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?
Answer:
Tigers are the denizens of the world of green. The. tiger is considered a very brave and courageous animal. They are
not afraid of anyone.

Question 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:
Aunt Jennifer has become so old that it appears that her fingers are trembling through the wool. She has become so
weak that she even finds the needle hard to pull. The poet means to say that unending household chores have made
aunt very weak.

Question 3.
What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?
Answer:
The poet says that Uncle’s wedding band lies very heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand. She has to work endlessly from
morning till night and also have to bear Uncle’s tyranny. Aunt Jennifer has to slavishly follow all the orders of the uncle.

Question 4.
Of what or of whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified within the third stanza?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is terrified of endless household chores and Uncle in the third stanza. She thinks that even after her death
she will not be free from these household chores.

Question 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:
Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by household chores. These chores are no less than ordeals for her be-cause willingly or
unwillingly she has to do them. The word ‘ringed’ has been used to convey that Aunt Jennifer is so surrounded by her
ordeals that she can never think to come out of them.

Question 6.
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her character? What might the poet be
suggesting, through this difference?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is an old and submissive woman. But the tigers she is embroidering on the panel appear to be bold and
chivalric. The suggestion given here is that women give birth to men but the same men tyrannise women when they
grow up.

Question 7.
Interpret the symbols found in this poem.
Answer:
The poet has used the symbol of tigers in this poem. Tigers represent the creative energy of women. The tigers also
represent the male-dominant society. The poet wants to say that the women give birth to men, but the same men
tyrannise women when they grow up.
Question 8.
Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer?
Answer:
Yes, we do sympathise with Aunt Jennifer. Aunt Jennifer symbolises particular housewife. She has to do all the
household chores without any respite. Her husband is very cruel and often tyrannises her. The poet says that perhaps
Aunt Jennifer will have to continue with her household chores even after death.

Question 9.
For Aunt Jennifer what do the tigers symbolise?
Answer:
Tigers symbolise the creative energy of women. The tigers also represent the male-dominant society. The poet wants to
say that the women give birth to men, but the same men tyrannise women when they grow up.

Question 10.
What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer has embroidered tigers on a panel. These tigers represent not only women’s creativity but also the tyranny
of men towards women. It will continue even after the death of Aunt Jennifer. Therefore her tigers will also keep
prancing on the panel.

Question 11.
Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer has been tyrannised by her husband all her life. Her husband has become a picture of terror for her. She
is venting out all her inner feelings by embroidering tigers on the panel. In the form of tigers, she has embroidered the
fearful face of her husband.

Question 12.
Aunt Jennifer’s efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile. Comment.
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer embroidered tigers on the screen. These tigers are a symbol of her husband, whom she is very afraid.
She thinks that by embroidering tigers she will get a sort of relief from her fear. But it proves quite futile. The poet says
that even after her death, the fear of her husband’s tyranny will keep on haunting Aunt Jennifer.

Question 13.
Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals that are so different from her character?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is an old and submissive woman. But the tigers she is embroidering on the panel appear to be bold and
chivalric. The suggestion given here is that women give birth to men but the same men tyrannise women when they
grow up.

Question 14.
What picture of male chauvinism (tyranny) do we find in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’?
Answer:
Ours is a male-dominated society. Aunt Jennifer is a typical housewife. She has to follow her husband’s orders slavishly.
Her husband tyrannises her and she has accepted her fate submissively. This poem reflects a true picture of male
chauvinism.
Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Answer:
The poet refers to an old woman, Aunt Jennifer. She has embroidered some tigers on a screen. These tigers are
jumping across the screen. The poet says that these tigers appear so real as if they were the inhabitants of the jungle.
Some men are shown beneath the tree. But these tigers are fear¬less. They are not afraid of these men. Aunt Jennifer
has become so old that it appears that her fin¬gers are trembling through the wool. She has become so weak that she
even finds the needle hard to pull.

The poet says that the uncle wedding band lies very heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand. The poet means to say here that
Aunt Jennifer has to slavishly follow all the orders of the uncle. Aunt Jennifer is terrified of endless household chores
and Uncle. She thinks that even after her death she will not be free from these household chores.

Question 2.
Write in brief the central idea of the poem.
Answer:
In this poem, the poet narrates the tale of an old woman Aunt Jennifer. She is a typical housewife. She is embroidering
tigers on a frame. Aunt Jennifer has suffered all her life because of male-dominance. The tigers she is embroidering are
in fact symbol of her husband. They can also be seen as a symbol of a woman’s creative energy. The women give birth
to men and the same men tyrannise women when they grow up. The poet says that Aunt is crushed due to male
chauvinism and it appears she won’t be free from the bondage of her household chores even after her death.