NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poetry Chapter 6-Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poetry Chapter 6 Free PDF Download

Please Click on Free PDF Download link to Download the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poetry Chapter 6 Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

Text Book Questions :-

Think :

How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tigers’ attitude?
Ans. Tigers, like all beasts of prey, are the denizens of the forest. The poem attributes the same traits of character and attitude to men, who, like the tigers, prefer to be superior in their domain.
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wool’ in the second stanza? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?
Ans. Aunt Jennifer was victimised by the overbearing and dominant nature of her husband. Her life had become a mess due to her suppression by her atrocious husband. The fear of her authoritative husband had gone so deep into her being that she seemed to have lost all her strength and energy. Thus her hands shook and fluttered so much that she could not pull the needle through the tapestry.
What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?
Ans. Generally, a ‘wedding band’ is a symbol of joy and happiness. But in case of Aunt Jennifer, it had become a symbol of torture and oppression. Her relationship with her authoritative husband had become a painful burden to carry. Her ‘wedding band’ had brought her a world of pain, misery and torture. She had lost her freedom and entered a world of humiliation and oppression.
Of what or of whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified with in the third stanza?
Ans. According to the poet, Aunt Jennifer would carry the marks of injury of her married life to her grave. She would remain afraid of the Uncle and the iron bands of her marriage. The rings of torture, even after her death, would accompany her.
What are the ordeals Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by, why is it significant that the poet uses the word ‘ringed’? What are the different meanings of the word ‘ringed’ in the poem?
Ans. . Aunt Jennifer was still mentally surrounded by the ordeals she faced during her married life. The poem narrated the unhappy experiences of her married life. The word ‘ringed’ is significant. It made it clear that the vicious grip of her unhappy married life was still holding her tightly.
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting, through this poem
Ans. AuntJennifer’s animals were sodifferentfromher owncharacter as she was greatly experiencing the constraints of her married life. The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band was sitting heavily on her hand. She wanted the animals created by her to move freely in the world. She thought that they would go on prancing, proud and unafraid. She used them as a tool to express her own feelings. She wanted to echo a strong resistance to racism and militarism through them. The poet might be suggesting through that difference, the attitude of Aunt Jennifer as well as that of the tigers. She might have wanted to highlight the feeling of gallantry or dogmatic attitude of the tigers in comparison to the Aunt who was badly terrified .
Interpret the symbols found in this poem
Ans. The poem is rich in symbolism. ‘The massive weight of wedding band’ symbolises ordeals, hardships and worries of a married life. ‘Terrified hands’ and ‘ringed with ordeals’ also symbolise unpleasant experiences.
‘Topaz’ is a symbol of hardness and brightness. They cling to Aunt Jennifer mentally and physically.
Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer?
Ans. We sympathise with Aunt Jennifer. Her marriage with Uncle would prove to be fatal. She lived in terror throughout her life. The speaker has no sympathy with her. She wanted that Aunt should have resisted to Uncle’s cruelty with courage. But the Aunt could not muster up courage. She suffered in silence. She could express it only with her needlework.