Class XII
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
Value points
About the poet: Adrienne Rich (1929):
born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
known for her involvement in contemporary women’s movement as a poet and
theorist
published 19 volumes of poetry, 3 collections of essays and other writings
A strong resistance to racism and militarism echoes through her work
‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ addresses the constraints of married life a woman experience
Theme:
The theme of the poem “Aunt Jennifer's Tiger” relates to the issue and subject of
making dominance in society.
How the power of the patriarchy controls women’s forms but not their minds?
The theme of the poem highlights the conflicts, issues and struggles that a woman
has to face in the male chauvinistic society.
The poem presents the wild, interesting, powerful tigers embroidered by Aunt
Jennifer and contrasting them with Aunt Jennifer, the oppressed wife.
Message:
A statement of conflict in women, specifically between the impulse to freedom and
imagination.
Marriage has sometimes a degenerative effect on the personality of some women.
Aunt Jennifer wants a life that she embroiders on the panel.
She wants a colourful, vibrant life which every woman should have the power to
create.
Value points:
Aunt Jennifer embroiders some tigers with golden thread on a verdant green fabric.
The tigers have been personified here. The green fabric is the symbol of a green
forest and the tigers are inhabitant of this green world.
The tigers are free, fearless, elegant and very confident.
While doing her embroidery work, Aunt Jennifer finds it somewhat difficult to pull
out the needle.
It seems that the wedding ring on her finger is such a massive weight that the finger
cannot move freely and easily. Her fingers have become numb with fear.
She is nervous and different person—a bundle of nerves.
The trauma is so deep that it may last even beyond her earthly existence. Even in her
grave she will be in mortal fear of her brutal husband.
In contrast to all this, Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will remain running and jumping around
fearlessly, proudly and joyfully.
Poetic Devices:
Anaphora – use of same word in two consecutive lines (they do not … and they pace
in…)
Metaphor – Use of topaz to describe the yellow colour of tigers (Bright topaz)
Alliteration – ‘f’ sound is repeated in ‘finger fluttering’, ‘p’ is repeated in ‘prancing
proud’
Synecdoche – part for whole- terrified hands: her hands represent Aunt Jennifer’s
personality
Pun – i) ‘lie’ implies that it would be lying by her side;
ii) ‘the fingers’ which made the tigers would give a false impression about her
character.
iii) ‘ringed’ refer to the ringed finger;
iv) her entrapment in marriage.
Hyperbole—exaggerated statements—'heavy wedding band’
Symbolism—shows ideas and qualities which use symbols such as words—
(i) heavy wedding band,
(ii) tigers are untamed free spirit
Imagery—gives a sensory experience or creates a picture with words for the readers
—
(i) fear stricken, depressed wife, magnificent tigers
Personification—Tigers are personified throughout the poem as ‘proud, confident
and unafraid of men’. Lines—3, 4,11 and 12
