About the poet

Adrienne Rich (1929) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She is widely known for her involvement in contemporary women’s movement as a poet and theorist. She has published nineteen volumes of poetry, three collections of essays and other writings. A strong resistance to racism and militarism echoes through her work. The poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers addresses the constraints of married life a woman experiences.

Before you read

What does the title of the poem suggest to you? Are you reminded of other poems on tigers?

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

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 (With Poetic Devices, Difficult Words and Hindi Translation)
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.

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.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Solution and Central Idea

Poetic Devices

1. 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).

 

2. Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. 

 

e.g. “finger fluttering”, “prancing, proud”.

 

3. 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.)

 

4. 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.)

 

5. 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.)

 

6. 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.)

 

7. 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.”

 

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Solution and Central Idea

Hindi Translation Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

आंट जेनिफर द्वारा बने हुए बाघ एक पर्दे के ऊपर उछलते कूदते हैं। हरे-भरे जंगलों के ये निवासी चमकीले पीले पुखराज की तरह लग रहे हैं। वे पेड़ के नीचे खड़े हुए आदमियों से नहीं डरते। वे निडरतापूर्वक शौर्यपूर्ण निश्चय के साथ दौड़ते हैं।
 
आंट जेनिफर की उंगलियाँ उनकी ऊन में काँपती हुई-सी चलती हैं। वह हाथी दाँत की सूई को खींच पाने में कठिनाई महसूस करती हैं। उनके पति से उनकी शादी की अँगूठी भी आंट जेनिफर के हाथों पर भारी पड़ रहा है। इस अँगूठी के भार से आंट जेनिफरन  का  हाथ बहुत दब गया है।
 
जब आंट जेनिफर की  मृत्यु होगी तो उनके भयभीत हाथो में उस व्यक्ति की दी गयी अँगूठी होगी, अर्थात वे उन कठिन अनुभवों से घिरी रहेंगी जिन्होंने उनको अपने अधीन कर रखा था। परन्तु वे बाघ जो उन्होंने पर्दे पर बनाये हैं गर्व और निर्भयता के साथ उछलते-कूदते रहेंगे।

Difficult Words Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

across (अक्रॉस) = from one side to another, आर-पार

band (बैन्ड) = strip, फीता

beneath (बिनीथ) = under, नीचे

bright (ब्राइट) = shining, चमकदार

certainty (स:टन्टि) = (here) confidence, विश्वास

chivalric (शिवेलरिक) = honourable and brave, शौर्यपूर्ण/उदारमन

denizens (डेनिजन्ज) = dwellers, निवासी

fluttering (फ्लटिंग) = trembling, काँपती हुई

ivory (आइवरि) = made of ivory, हाथी दाँत की बनी

massive (मैसिव) = (here) heavy, भारी

mastered by (मास्टर्ड बाय) = controlled, put under, अधीन या नियंत्रण में कर ली गयी

ordeals (ऑ:डिअल्ज़) = (here) difficult or tough experiences, कठोर अनुभव

pace (पेस)= run fast, दौड़ लगाते हैं

panel (पैनल) = board, फलक या पर्दा

prance (प्रांस) = jump over, छलाँग लगाते हैं

pull (पुल) = draw, खींचना

ringed with (रिंग्ड विद) = (here) surrounded with, encircled, घिरी हुई

screen (स्क्रीन) = पर्दा

sleek (स्लीक) = shining and well groomed, चिकने और बने-ठने

terrified (टेरीफाइड) = threatened, scared, आतंकित/भयभीत

topaz (टोपैज़) = a transparent yellow stone used in jewellery, पीला पुखराज

world of green (वर्ल्ड ऑव ग्रीन) = green forests, हरे जंगल

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Solution and Central Idea

Click here to see all the Articles