Aunt Jennifer's Tigers...class 12 CBSE Read and Understand

 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.

Aunt Jennifer’s tigers take long strides across the panel. They are bright yellow like a topaz gem and are the ‘denizens’ of the forest, which is referred to here as a world of green. The tigers are brave, fearless, and elegant. They are chivalric and confident. 

The images of tigers are created by Aunt Jennifer she has embroidered them. The tigers represent her desire to be bold and fearless like them. The tigers are not afraid of the men beneath the tree they move around confidently and fearlessly while the aunt is burdened with the constraints of married life. Her desire is to be free from fear and oppression that control her life. 


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. Aunt Jennifer is creating beautiful images of tigers. But embroidering the tigers is not easy and smooth. Due to fear her hands tremble, fingers flutter. Aunt finds the ivory needle very hard to pull through the wool. The ivory needle is very smooth and easy to pull therefore the poet uses the word ’even’.The aunt is so terrified that she is unable to pull a smooth ivory needle. Uncle’s wedding band seems very heavy on her hand. She feels burdened with her marital responsibilities and the constraints of her married life. ‘Uncle’s wedding band’ ‘sits heavily’ on her hand because he dominates. Her life with her husband is described as a life of ‘ordeals’.She has been burdened by the obligations of married life.

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. When Aunt is dead, her terrified, frightened, hands will lie without any movement (still) but yet (still) they will be trapped in the ordeals that she has gone through and has learnt to live with the miseries of an unhappy married life. The irony of her life is that still, she will be surrounded by the constraints of married life by the wedding ring. Even after her death, the ring will remain on her finger and she will never be free. The word ‘ringed’ signifies two things, one that she is entrapped and surrounded by the responsibilities of married life and it also means the finger is encircled by the wedding band. Aunt Jennifer will remain terrified even after her death, but the tigers she has created will continue to stride fearlessly with pride.


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