AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS

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Adrienne Rich

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 ABOUT THE POET
Adrienne Cecile Rich (May 16, 1929 - March 27, 2012) was born in Baltimore,
Maryland, USA

She 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”, and was
credited with bringing "the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of
poetic discourse”

Her first collection of poetry, A Change of World, selected by renowned poet W.

H. Auden for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award.

Rich went on to write the introduction to the published volume

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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.

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 BACKGROUND OF THE POEM

Aunt Jennifer’s tigers is a poem by Adrienne Rich illustrating

her feminist concerns. In the male dominant world, a women
of her time was only supposed to be a dutiful homemaker. This
poem through the world of Aunt Jennifer, tells us about her
inner desire to free herself from the clutches of abusive
marriage and patriarchal society
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 OVERVIEW OF THE POEM

The Poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers addresses the constraints of married life a
woman experiences.

This is the political poem that explores the position that women held in Western
Society.

Very Structured Poem

Each verse contains exactly four lines

Every second line rhymes with the previous line

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 STANZA - 1
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

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 SUMMARY OF STANZA 1

The first stanza opens with Aunt Jennifer’s visual tapestry of tigers who are
fearless of their environment.

“Bright topaz denizens of a world of green” - evoke an image that these regal
tigers are unafraid of other beings in the Jungle. Bright here signifies their
powerful and radiant persona.

There is a sense of certainty and confidence in the way these tigers move can
be seen in the line – “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty”.
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 STANZA - 2
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.

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 SUMMARY OF STANZA -2

In the second stanza, the reality of Aunt Jennifer is revealed as she is
feeble, weak and enslaved, very much the opposite of the tigers she
was knitting.

Her physical and mental trauma is depicted in the line – “find even the
ivory needle hard to pull”.

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Even though a wedding ring doesn’t weigh much, “the massive
weight of uncle's wedding band, sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's
hand” signifies the amount of dominance her husband exercised over
her.

This also means that her inner free spirit has been jailed by the
patriarchal society.

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 STANZA - 3

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

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 SUMMARY OF STANZA -3

The last stanza starts on a creepy note about Aunt Jennifer’s death.

Even her death couldn’t free her from the ordeals she went through
which can be seen in “when Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will
lie still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by”.

But her art work which was her escape route or in a way, her inner
sense of freedom, will stay forever, proud and unafraid.
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 Tigers Aunt
Prance Flutttering
Pace Hard to pull
Do not fear Massive weight
Green denizen Sits heavily
Certainty Terrified
Proud ringed
Unafraid Ordeals
Go on Mastered by
dead
Will lie
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 POETIC DEVICES & FIGURES OF SPEECH
Alliteration – Same initial consonant sound
Finger’s fluttering;
Prancing proud;
chivalric certainty;
Weight of wedding band
Metaphor – An expression that describes the person or object by referring to
something that is considered to have similar characteristics to that person or
object.
Ringed with ordeals --even death would not free her as the wedding band, a
symbol of oppression, would yet be on her finger.

Visual imaginary - bright topaz denizens world of green

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Irony -Opposite of what we expected

Tiger lives forever in panel

Aunt is dead but still not free from uncle

Ring - slavery / Terrifying

Hyperbole

Exaggeration - massive weight of uncle's wedding band

Personification

Giving human qualities to animal or an object tigers personified – Sleek, Chivalric,

Certainty
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Imagery - Pictures in words

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green

Tigers prance across a screen

Men beneath a tree

Rhyme Scheme – Couplet

aa bb cc dd ee ff

Symbolism - an object or action that stands for the bigger idea

Prance - feminine phase

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Metonymy - part standing for an entire Idea
Ring subjugation
Transferred epithet –
Quality of person transferred to an object
terrified hands
Themes
Gender stereotypes
Male domination
Hypocrisy
Subjugation
oppression
Patriarchy
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 WORDS TO REMEMBER
Prance : Jump or move in a spirited manner
Screen : here, the wall or the surface of the tapestry
Topaz : a bright yellow precious stone
Denizens : inhabitants
Chivalric : brave and honourable
Certainty : confidence
Fluttering : trembling motion
Sleek : elegant
Ordeals : Hardship
Pace : a step taken with the foot
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Thank you…

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