Explanation and Summary: Poem 6 - Aunt Jennifer's Tigers Video Lecture | English Class 12

welcome to the English Academy I am rich
akka here I have a poem for students of
class 12 aunt
Jennifer's Tigers by Adrienne Rich here
I have the explanation and new words of
the poem Adrienne
Cecil rich was an American poet essayist
and a feminist she was one of the most
widely read and influenced poets of the
second half of the 20th century here in
this poem she talks about a woman's
experiences in her married life she has
tried to explore the inner feelings of a
woman who is living under the dominance
of men first stanza of the poem aunt
Jennifer's Tigers prance across the
screen bright topaz denizens of a world
of green they do not fear the men
beneath the tree they pace and sleek
chivalric certainty the explanation of
the stanza here the poet is talking
about a lady whom she addresses as aunt
and the name of the lady is Jennifer so
she says that aunt Jennifer is
embroidering a tapestry a panel which is
a piece of cloth and it could be
probably a tablecloth or of all hanging
so the pattern on the embroidery which
she is doing is of tigers which are
running and moving around jumping all
over the piece of cloth they are bright
yellow in color just like the color of
topaz stone so here also she has used
her simile to describe the color of the
Tigers and the Tigers are in the green
dense forest backdrop and it is looking
very striking the Tigers are proud and
fearless citizens of the forest
Tennessean denizens here means proud and
fearless citizens of their habitat where
they are living here a contrast is shown
between aunt Jennifer and
the Tigers which she is embroidering the
Tigers are fearless but this lady she is
not so the poet says that this lady is
not fearless so whom do you think does
she fear she probably fears her husband
and the poet further says that the
Tigers are elegant and they are shining
and full of grace now you can also think
that the threads which are used for him
Roy tree they are silken threads so they
are also giving a shine to these Tigers
next stanza aren't 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 aren't Jennifer's hand
in this stanza the poet says that her
fingers are trembling with the fear of
her husband she says they are fluttering
now why are they probably fluttering
because she is doing her hobby of
embroidery and probably the poet feels
that her husband would not be very
pleased to see her doing this so he
could scold her so as the lady is scared
of him she feels that he can come any
time and he can scold her that is why
her fingers are trembling then she says
that her fingers are so tired of working
endlessly all her life she has been
fulfilling the obligations of her
married life that she is so tired even
the tiny needle is so heavy for her that
it is difficult for her to pull it out
of the cloth doing the embroidery doing
the needlework is very tough task for
her further she says the uncle's wedding
band so why is she referring to it as
uncle's wedding band because probably he
purchased it for her when they had got
married and even today it is his because
the lady is not in such a position that
she can afford such a wedding band it
was purchased by her husband and even
today she is dependent on him and she is
burdened by the weight of this ring she
has been living a demanding life
to which he has worn out in her old age
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
we'll go on prancing proud and unafraid
in this stanza she says that the ladies
wish to live a free and fearless life is
for trade through the design which she
has chosen that is the Tigers the Tigers
are considered to be a fearless animal
and deliver free life in the past
forests it shows her innermost desire of
being strong fearless and living a free
life but she has been overpowered by the
dominance of her husband she has been
living a very demanding life attending
to her husband and fulfilling his
commands and probably the poet feels
that the audience of this lady will end
up only upon her death then she says
that her frightened shaking fingers will
then be put to rest all her life she has
been working and she can only take rest
when she dies but still she feels that
even after her death the ring will still
be there on her finger the massive heavy
ring will be there on her finger which
suggests that the desire of the lady to
live a free and fearless life will never
be fulfilled it will it can only remain
alive in the Tigers which he has
embroidered on the cloth now here are
the new words from the poem France means
to walk or move around with high springy
steps topaz is a bright yellow colored
stone denizens in the text means an
animal that lives or is found in a
particular place sleek means elegant
chivalric means being courteous
especially to women ordeals is the
extreme severe tests or experiences
prancing means to move around proudly
fluttering is to move in quick irregular
motions as if
being agitated for the
question-and-answers of this poem follow
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