This poem is composed by famous American poetess Adrienne Rich ( 1929-2012). Adrienne Rich was an excellent poet, essayist and feminist . Her poems are famous for their feminist elements. She always took a firm stand for female equality and women rights . Rich is well-known for raising her effective voice and pen for women rights. This poem is included in the course of XII ( HBSE & CBSE)
Stanza-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.
( prance-ऊँचे क़दमों से चलना , उछल कूद ) screen-पर्दा ,topaz-पुखराज , पीले रंग का एक कीमती रत्न , denizens-निवासी ,beneath-नीचे ,pace - एक जैसी चाल ,sleek - कोमल , शानदार ,chivalric-शूरवीर , विनम्र , पराक्रमी ,certainty-निश्चितता , मस्ती से )
व्याख्या :- यह एक प्रतीकात्मक कविता है जिसमें एड्रीन रिच ने कुछ प्रतीकों के द्वारा एक सामान्य गृहिणी की दशा का वर्णन किया है। आंट जेनिफर , जोकि वृद्ध और कमजोर है, अपने घर में बैठी एक बड़े से पर्दे पर कढ़ाई से कुछ बाघों के चित्र बना रही है। उसके द्वारा बनाए गए बाघ पर्दे पर बड़ी मस्ती से उछल कूद कर रहे लगते हैं। वे बाघ किसी हरे भरे संसार के चमकीले पीले रंग के निवासी प्रतीत होते हैं । वहीं उस चित्र में एक पेड़ के नीचे कुछ व्यक्ति भी खड़े दिखाई देते हैं ,परंतु लगता है कि बाघों को उन व्यक्तियों का कोई डर नहीं है। वे किसी शूरवीर को तरह शान से चहल कदमी कर रहे हैं। उनके व्यवहार में उत्साह, वीरता और निश्चितता दिखाई दे रही है।
Stanza-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.
(fluttering-काँपना ,ivory needle-हाथी दाँत से बनी सुई ,massive-विशाल , भारी)
Aunt Jennifer कमजोर और वृद्ध हो चुकी है। उसकी उंगलियां कांप रही है जब वह उन्हें ऊन में से घुमाती है । उसे हाथी - दांत से बनी हल्की सी सुई को ऊन में से खींच पाना भी कठिन लग रहा है। यहां कवयित्री कहती है कि अंकल के विवाह संबंधी दायित्व और बंधनों का बोझ उसके हाथों पर अत्यधिक भार डाल रहा है। और इसीलिए उसके हाथ कांप रहे हैं। अर्थात विवाह पश्चात प्रत्येक गृहिणी अपने दैनिक जीवन की जिम्मेदारियों में इतना बंध जाती है कि उसे अपने आराम और स्वास्थ्य के लिए बिल्कुल भी समय नहीं मिल पाता। किसी भी अन्य गृहिणी की तरह आंट जेनिफर भी अपनी सेहत और उम्र की परवाह किए बिना पूरे दिन घरेलू कामकाज में लगी रहती है ।
Stanza-3
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tiger in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
(terrified- भयभीत , ordeals- परीक्षाएं , पीड़ादायक अनुभव , mastered by- वश में होना panel-विशाल चित्र )
व्याख्या:- कवयित्री के अनुसार जब एक दिन आंट जेनिफर मर जाएगी तब भी उसके भयभीत हाथ उन अग्नि परीक्षाओं में बंधे हुए रहेंगे जिनके द्वारा उसे पूरी जिंदगी नियंत्रित रखा गया था। अर्थात पुरुष प्रधान समाज में उसे भिन्न भिन्न प्रकार के सामाजिक बंधनों से बांध कर रखा गया और एक स्वतंत्र जीवन बिताने से वंचित रखा गया। परंतु उसके द्वारा बनाए गए बाघ अब भी उसी मस्ती और शान से उछल कूद कर रहे हैं।
VSA of the Poem ( Aunt Jennifer's Tigers)
Q1- Who is the poet of the poem," Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" ?
Ans- Adrienne Rich.
Q2- What is Aunt Jennifer doing?
Ans- Embroidery.
Q3- Where are the tigers of Aunt Jennifer ?
Ans- On the panel made by her.
Q4- What are the tigers doing ?
Ans- They are prancing across the screen.
Q5- How do they look like ?
Ans- Bright denizens of a world of green.
Q6- How do the tigers pace ?
Ans- They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Q7- What kind of a lady is Aunt Jennifer ?
Ans- She is weak and old.
Q8- Why she finds hard to pull the needle ?
Ans- Because of her hidden fears and massive weight of wedding band.
Q9- What does " wedding ring" represent ?
Ans- Unnecessary pressure of her dominant husband.
Q10- Who mastered the Aunt with ordeals?
Ans- Her husband.
Q11- What is Aunt Jennifer making with wool ?
Ans- She is embroiding a wall panel.
Q12- Why does Aunt Jennifer embroiding the tigers ?
Ans- To express her suppressed feelings and strength.
Q13- What did the hardships do in the life of Aunt Jennifer ?
Ans- It crushed her all artistic talent .
Q14- What did marriage bring to Aunt Jennifer ?
Ans- Loss of freedom and burden of household.
Q15- What would be the effect on the tigers , when Aunt Jennifer dies?
Ans- None, they will prance as usual.,
Textual Exercise-- Aunt Jennifer's Tigers
Q1-Who is Aunt Jennifer ?
Ans- Aunt Jennifer is a married woman in a common household. She is weak and old.
Q2- What is she doing?
Ans- She is embroidering tigers in wool with an ivory needle.
Q3- Where are the tigers?
Ans- They are not real tigers and they have been embroidered on a screen by Aunt Jennifer. They are prancing fearless across the screen .
Q4- How do 'denizens' and 'chivalric' tell us about the tigers' attitude?
Ans- The tigers are the denizens of a world of green. They are brave and warlike. They are not afraid of human beings.
Q5- Why do you think Aunt Jennifer's hands are fluttering through the wool? Why she finds the needle so hard to pull?
Ans- Aunt Jennifer seems to have grown very old and weak. That is why her hands are fluttering through the wool. She finds it hard to pull the ivory needle because her old and weak hands are trembling.
Q6- Why are Aunt's hands are terrified in the third stanza?
Ans- Aunt's hands are terrified because of the hard and heavy chores she has been performing so far in her life. She fears she might have to do the same ones even after her death.
Q7- What do the tigers represent?
Ans- The tigers represent the creative energy of woman.
Q8- What are the 'ordeals ' Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by?
Ans- Aunt Jennifer's ordeals are the ordeals of keeping her family happy. She can't do anything against the wishes of her husband and her family.
Q9- What symbols have been used by the poet in this poem?
Ans-The two main symbols used in the poem are the tigers and the screen. Tigers represent the creative energy of woman. The screen represents the range on which that creative energy works.
Q10- How will Aunt Jennifer's hands look when she is dead? (2017)
Ans- Aunt Jennifer's daily chores will not leave her even when she is dead. Her terrified hands will be ringed with the things she was in the process of making. In other words, she will die while still doing her daily chores.
Q11- Contrast Aunt Jennifer's tigers with her own character.
Ans- Aunt Jennifer is an old and weak lady. She remains afraid of her family. She has led her life as a servant of her husband and her family. On the other hand, the tigers embroidered by her are chivalric and fearless. They have no fear of human beings. They prance across the screen proudly.
Q12- Give a brief summary of the poem,' Aunt Jennifer's Tigers'.
Ans- In this poem, the common story of almost all married women is told through the life of Aunt Jennifer. Even after spending all their life in serving their family with dedication, they at last pass into their graves without any due regards. Aunt Jennifer is a common housewife. She embroiders some tigers in wool on a screen. The tigers are chivalric and brave . They are not afraid of human beings. But the creator of those tigers , Aunt Jennifer, is very afraid of her husband and her family. She has taken all the hardships of life as a part of her fate. She fears that she can't be free from these ordeals even after her death. She would lay in her grave peacefully one day but the tigers embroidered by her would prance across the screen proudly for ever.
