Gujarat Board GSEB Class 12 English Textbook Solutions Flamingo Poem 6 Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 6 Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
GSEB Class 12 English Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Text Book Questions and Answers
Think it Out
Question 1.
How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?
Answer:
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.
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 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 needle so hard.
Question 3.
What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?
Answer:
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.
Question 4.
Of what or whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the third stanza?
Answer:
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.
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 different meanings of ‘ringed’ in the poem?
Answer:
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.
Question 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 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 the ivory needle through the 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.
Question 7.
Interpret the symbols found in this poem.
Answer:
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.
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. 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.
GSEB Class 12 English Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Additional Important Questions and Answers
Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each.
Question 1.
What do you learn about Aunt Jennifer’s tigers on reading the poem?
Answer:
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.
Question 2.
How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits’ of tigers do they reveal?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are her own creations. She works with wool and ivory needles. She has created them in the panel. They have s&l 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.
Question 3.
What difficulty does Aunt Jennifer face while making her tigers and why?
Answer:
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.
Question 4.
What is the weight that lies heavy on Aunt Jennifer’s hand? How is it associated with her husband?
Answer:
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 heavyweight of the wedding band sits heavily upon her hand.
Question 5.
How will Aunt Jennifer’s hands look when she is dead?
Answer:
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 surrounded and cramped her fingers and hands too.
Question 6.
What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead?
Answer:
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.
Question 7.
Describe the poetic devices used in the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers.
Answer:
Adrienne Rich’s ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ is a beautiful short poem rich in symbolism and imagery. The metaphor ‘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 life. The images ‘terrified hands’ and ‘ringed with ordeal’ create the effect of oppression and terror as well as captivity.
Question 8.
How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?
Answer:
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 during her married life. Her fingers are so ‘terrified’ that they find it hard to pull even the ivory needle through the wool. Thus, the contrast is amply highlighted.
Figures of Speech
Choose the Figures of Speech in the following lines:
Question 1.
‘Bright topaz denizens of a world of green’
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Synecdoche
D. Apostrophe
Answer:
B. Metaphor
Question 2.
‘They pace in sleek chivalric certainty
A. Personification
B. Internal Rhyme
C. Alliteration
D. Oxymoron
Answer:
C. Alliteration
Question 3.
‘The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’
A. Alliteration
B. Anastrophe
C. Oxymoron
D. Metaphor
Answer:
D. Metaphor
Question 4.
‘Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool’
A. Alliteration
B. Antithesis
C. Synecdoche
D. Simile
Answer:
A. Alliteration
Reading Comprehension (Textual)
Read the following stanzas and answer the questions given below them:
Question 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:
(1) What are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers doing? How do they look like?
(2) Where do they live? Are they fearless? Give an example.
Answer:
(1) Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are jumping across a screen or a wall. The tigers are moving in a lively fashion, perhaps arrogantly. They look like shining yellow topaz.
(2) They live in green forests. They are fearless. They don’t fear the men under the tree.
Question 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:
(1) What was lying heavily? Where?
(2) What was upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand? How did it sit there?
Answer:
(1) The weight of Uncle’s wedding band was lying heavily on her hand.
(2) There was uncle’s wedding band upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand. It sat heavily there.
Question 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:
1. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands called ‘terrified’?
2. What are they still ringed with?
Answer:
1. Her hands are called terrified because they have passed through very hard and bitter experience of married life.
2. They are still ringed with those hard and testing difficulties which possessed her during her life.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary in English
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Introduction:
Adrienne Cecile Rich (May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called ‘one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century, and was credited with bringing ‘the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse’. Her first collection of poetry, A Change of World, was selected by renowned poet W. H. Auden for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. Auden went on to write the introduction to the published volume. She famously declined the National Medal of Arts, protesting the vote by House Speaker Newt Gingrich to end funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary:
In the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ a woman expresses her suppressed feelings through her art. Aunt Jennifer is the victim of the male-dominated society. She has no one to tell her mental and physical pain. She makes a picture to convey her deep feelings.
The speaker describes the tigers which her aunt produced on the panel. They are set in motion. They are moving quickly by raising the front legs and jumping forwards on the back legs. In the green jungle, they look free, bright, brave, fearless and magnificent. There are men sitting under the tree, but the Tigers do not.
They move on to their goal boldly and smoothly. Jennifer finds it difficult to make pictures by using the ivory needle. She is tired of doing the household work after she got married. She can’t get herself involved in her artistic work. She has to do it in her leisure time.
Even then she has to be sure whether her husband is watching her or not. So her hands are terrified. She will not be free from fear until she dies. She will be dominated by her husband. She will die, but her art will express her desire to move proudly and fearlessly like the tigers she has made.