Summary and Main Points: Poem 5 - Aunt Jennifer's Tiger Class 12 English Flamingo

Key Points of the Poem

• In the poem a woman expresses her deep feeling through her art. She (Aunt Jennifer) is prey of male dominant society. 
• Also, there is no one with whom she can share her physical pain. 
• So she makes a picture to describe her deep feelings. 
• Moreover, the narrator defines the tigers which her aunt made on the panel. 
• Like their motion and movements and their magnificence and fearlessness. 
• Further, there are men sitting under the tree but the tigers don’t. 
• Besides, now Jennifer finds it difficult to take pictures by using ivory needles. 
• Also, after marriage, she became weary of doing household work. 
• Now she can’t involve herself in artistic work instead she has to do it in leisure time. 
• She is scared of her husband but her art expresses her desire to move fearlessly and proudly like tigers.

Detailed Summary  

In this poem, the poet depicts Aunt Jennifer, who is engaged in embroidery work, possibly creating a wall hanging or a tablecloth adorned with vibrant tigers charging through a lush forest. The poet highlights the tigers' striking appearance against the forest's green backdrop, akin to topazes gleaming bright yellow. These tigers are undaunted by the presence of men, displaying a contrasting fearlessness compared to Aunt Jennifer. While her embroidered tigers exude fierceness, she herself lives in fear of her husband.
The poet underscores Aunt Jennifer's apprehension of her husband, as her trembling fingers while embroidering stem from his disapproval of her hobby. This disapproval complicates her needlework. Aunt Jennifer's wedding ring, given to her on her wedding day, is regarded as a heavy burden, symbolizing the pain she endures due to her husband's mistreatment. This association between the ring and her suffering alludes to her husband's dominating behavior.
In the final part of the poem, the poet acknowledges that Aunt Jennifer's embroidered tigers reflect her longing for freedom and fearlessness. Yet, the poet laments that such freedom is unattainable during her lifetime. Only in death will she find liberation, albeit still bound by the metaphorical chains of her husband's wedding ring. This ring serves as a lasting reminder of the hardships she endured. In contrast, Aunt Jennifer's embroidered tigers will forever symbolize her desire for a fearless existence, boldly leaping on the cloth.

Conclusion  

By Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers summary, the poet wants to represent the life of a woman who has to live under a constant fear from her husband. Also, she will only get freedom when she will die.

Literary Devices

• Metaphor: It is a literary device which is used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike but do have something in common. e.g. “Bright topaz denizens” (tigers are compared with Bright topaz because of their elegant colour).
• Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “finger fluttering”, “prancing, proud”.
• Symbolism: It is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. e.g. “Bright topaz denizens” represents tigers’ elegant colours, “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band” represent male domination, “tigers” represent her hidden desires.
• Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to animals and non-human things. e.g. “chivalric” is a word which was used for knights in medieval times. But here, it is used for the tigers.
• Hyperbole: It is an exaggerated statement. e.g. “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.” The weight of wedding band cannot be heavy. But it symbolises mental trauma of marriage.
• Transferred Epithet: It is a poetic device in which adjective is transferred from the noun it is meant to describe to another noun in the sentence. e.g. “terrified hands” refer to Aunt Jennifer who herself is terrified.
• Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break. e.g. “The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.”

Difficult Words

Word - Meaning

• Prance = skip joyfully, dance
• Topaz = yellow gem, bright jewel 
• Denizens = residents, inhabitants 
• Chivalric = gallant, brave
• Fluttering = flapping, waving
• Ivory = white material, tusk
• Massive = large, bulky
• Ordeals = trials, tribulations
• Mastered by = controlled, dominated 
• Panel = section, piece
• Proud = dignified, self-respecting
• Unafraid = brave, fearless