Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer?

Interpret the symbols found in this poem.

Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting, through this difference?

What are the ‘ordeals’ Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by? Why is it significant that the poet uses the word ‘ringed’? What are the meanings of the word ‘ringed’ in the poem?

Of what or of whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified with in the third stanza?

What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?

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?

How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?

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

Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural poor?