Aunt Jennifer's Tigers: Contents

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Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

Contents: -
 Introduction
 About The Author
 Summary
 Theme
 Analysis
 Conclusion
 Bibliography
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INTRODUCTION
In the poem Aunt Jennifer's Tigers a woman

expresses her suppressed feelings through her
art. Aunt Jennifer is the victim of the male-
dominated society. The poem is powerful and
generalizes the plight of all suppressed women
of the world.
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About the Author: -
Adrienne Cecile Rich ( May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an
American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most
widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th
century",[1][2] and was credited with bringing "the oppression of women
and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse". [3] Rich criticized rigid
forms of feminist identities, and valorized what she coined the "lesbian
continuum", which is a female continuum of solidarity and creativity that
impacts and fills women's lives.[4]
Her first collection of poetry, A Change of World, was selected by
renowned poet W. H. Auden for the Yale Series of Younger Poets
Award. Auden went on to write the introduction to the published
volume. She famously declined the National Medal of Arts, protesting
the vote by House Speaker Newt Gingrich to end funding for
the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Summary: -
In this poem, the poet describes a lady whom she addresses as Aunt Jennifer.
The poet also says that she is doing embroidery on a piece of cloth that could
be a wall hanging or table cloth. Moreover, she has made it with beautiful
tigers that are running fiercely in the green forest. Further, she describes
their beauty in comparison to a topaz. As in the green background of the
forest, they appear bright yellow. Company of men does not affect them as
they are fearless. At this point, we can sense the contrast of behaviour
between the aunt and tigers. Although tiger made by her is fierce she is
afraid of her husband. According to the poet, tigers are the proud and
fearless citizens of the forests. These creatures are very elegant and shiny.
In this para, the poet defines Aunt Jennifer’s fear of her husband. While
doing embroidery she says that her fingers shake with the fear of her
husband. As her husband does not approve her hobby of embroidery. Hence,
she quivers while she is embroidering the piece of cloth. Also, it becomes
difficult for her to pull the needle up and down. After that, she defines her
wedding ring which her husband give her on their wedding day. In addition,
she sees it as a kind of burden to wear this ring.
She feels this because her husband tortures her so much that she sees the
wedding ring as a burden instead of a beautiful gift by her husband. Due to
the many difficulties, she has faced in her married life that she describes the
little wedding ring as a heavy band on her trembling fingers. It also means
that the ring is linked with some bad experiences in the form of torture that
she has faced. Further, this experience relates to the dominating behaviour of
her husband.
In the last part, the poet says that though aunt’s design of tigers can easily
sense her desire for freedom and fearlessness. However, the poet says that it
is not possible for her to achieve this freedom during her lifetime. Only after
her death, she will attain freedom. But the irony here is that even then she
will be tied with chains in the form of her husband’s wedding ring. This
ring is the only proof of the pains that she had faced from her husband. On
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the contrary, the tigers made by Aunt Jennifer will always portray her
desire for living a fearless life by jumping boldly and proudly on a piece
of cloth.
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Theme: -
The central theme of "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne

Rich is how the power of the patriarchy controls women's
bodies but not their minds. The poem makes this point by
presenting the wild, exotic, powerful tigers embroidered by
Aunt Jennifer and contrasting them with Aunt Jennifer herself
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Theme Analysis: -
The reader is immediately taken into this highly visual and symbolic scene. The tigers which
Aunt Jennifer creates are topaz in color, that is wine-red, yellowy orange, and live in a green
world where their majestic movements express fearlessness.
Green is often associated with the season of spring and rebirth. They prance (step high), and
are sleek (smooth and glossy) as well as chivalric. Chivalry is an ancient knightly term and means
courteous treatment, especially of women by men.
So the tigers know exactly what they're doing, being confident and vital, thanks to Aunt
The second stanza focuses on Aunt Jennifer's hands. Her fingers flutter, as if she's nervous,
or a little feeble, and even the ivory needle seems too heavy as she works the wool. Ivory is a
luxury material, from the tusks of elephants. The wedding band (ring) doesn't help either. It
weighs heavily on Aunt Jennifer, perhaps as a result of the emotional baggage associated with
it via her marriage.
There's a hint of hyperbole here, 'massive' seems over the top for a mere band. The poet is
reinforcing the idea that Aunt Jennifer isn't happy; the work is a challenge despite the fact that
it allows her a certain freedom
Note the contrasts between the first and second stanza. The first is vibrant, light and sure of
itself whilst the second is uncertain, a little dark and hard work. Patriarchal power is apparent in
the second stanza, whilst the first highlights the creative drive of Aunt Jennifer's tigers.
A shift in emphasis, from the here and now, to the possibility of what's to come. Again the poet
concentrates on the hands of Aunt Jennifer, using language that is pretty extreme
: dead, terrified, ringed, ordeals, mastered . The hands that have been so creative are now
thought of in this negative way. An ordeal implies long term experience so we can take it that this
woman had to endure a long suffering marriage, oppressed by her domineering husband.
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Even in death the submissive lifestyle she led shows through in her hands, the workhorses of the
woman at home. The one redeeming feature of her life however, the prancing, free spirited
tigers, will continue indefinitely. This gives a ray of hope for those who see no way out of a
relationship. Art can bring a sense of inner peace and instil confidence, however fragile.
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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
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Bibliography: -
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrienne_RiCH
 https://www.toppr.com/guides/english/english-
flamingo/aunt-jennifers-tigers-summary
 https://mycbseguide.com/questions/2384
 https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-
Poem-Aunt-Jennifers-Tigers-by-Adrienne-Rich

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Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

In the poem Aunt Jennifer's Tigers a woman

About the Author: -

The central theme of "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne

By Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers summary, the poet

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