Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers CBSE Class 12 Poem Tamil Explanation
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Poem Explanation
FIRST STANZA
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.
EXPLANATION
The poet is talking about a lady whom she addresses as aunt, Jennifer.
She is embroidering a piece of cloth. It could be a table cloth or a wall hanging.
The pattern shows tigers who are moving and jumping around all over the fabric.
They are bright yellow in colour like the colour of the topaz stone (use of metaphor).
The dense green forest background is their home.
They are the proud and fearless citizens of the forest.
Here is a contrast between Aunt Jennifer and her tigers. The tigers are fearless but this lady, who is embroidering them is not so.
The tigers look elegant, shining and full of the gentleman’s grace.
The poet is describing a lady whom she addresses as Aunt Jennifer. She says that Aunt Jennifer is doing embroidery on a piece of cloth which could be a table cloth or a wall hanging. She has designed it with beautiful tigers which are running fearlessly in the green forest. She has described their beauty by comparing them with a precious yellow stone known as topaz. She says that they appear bright yellow in the green backdrop of the forest. They are fearless and they are not affected by the presence of men. Here we can sense the contrast of behavior between the tigers and aunt, though the tigers designed by her are fearless but she herself is afraid of her husband. Further, the poet says that the tigers are proud and fearless citizens of the forests. They are very shiny and elegant.
Literary Devices
SECOND STANZA
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.
EXPLANATION
The lady’s fingers are trembling with the fear of her husband.
She is pursuing her hobby in her free time but probably, she is still afraid of her husband who could scold her.
Her fingers are so tired of working endlessly all her life
The needle is also heavy for her to pull out of the cloth.
The words ‘uncle’s wedding band’ as the band was bought by her husband, it is his till today.
The lady is dependent on her husband.
She is still burdened by the weight of the ring. ‘weight’ means the encirclement or trapping that has fallen upon her by getting married to him, she has been burdened by the obligations of married life, has become the man’s property.
She has been living a demanding life due to which she has worn out in her old age.
Here the poet describes the fear of Aunt Jennifer towards her husband. She says that while she is doing embroidery, her fingers are quivering (shaking) with fear of her husband. Her husband doesn’t approve of her hobby of embroidery. Therefore, she trembles while she is embroidering the piece of cloth. It has become difficult for her to pull her needle up and down. Then she describes the wedding ring which was given by uncle to Aunt Jennifer on their wedding day. She says that it is a kind of burden for her to wear this ring. She has been tortured by her husband so much that the wedding ring which could have been a beautiful gift for her seems like a burden to her. She has faced so many difficulties in her married life that the little ring is described as a heavy band on her trembling fingers. This means that the ring is associated with some bad experiences in the form of torture she has faced because of her husband’s dominating behaviour.
THIRD STANZA
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.
EXPLANATION
Her wish to live a free, fearless life is indicated by her choice of design – tigers.
It shows her innermost desire of being strong, fearless which has been overpowered by her husband.
Probably, her ordeal will end upon her death.
Her frightened, shaking fingers will be put to rest.
But still, even after death, the ring shall remain on her hand, i.e. her husband’s rule over her is not yet over!
After her death, her desire of freedom and fearlessness shall remain alive in these tigers which she has embroidered.
The poet says that one can easily sense aunt’s desire for freedom and fearlessness through her design of tigers. Further she says that it is not possible for aunt to achieve this freedom during her lifetime. She will attain it only after her death but here also the irony of her life is that still, she will be tied up with shackles in the form of her husband’s wedding ring. The ring was the sole proof of the tortures which she had faced from her husband. On the other hand, there are the tigers designed by Aunt Jennifer which will always depict her desire of living a fearless life by jumping proudly and bravely on the piece of cloth.
