Adrienne Rich - Aunt Jennifers Tigers Flashcards
theme of this poem
suffering and survival
what does the poem deal with
the oppression of women
-in this poem she rich highlight how women can be oppressed by the revered institution that is marriage
why is the title significant
because even the title Aunt indicates that she has always belonged to someone else
be it her father, husband and in this case niece
what happens in her life
throughout her whole life she is never given the opportunity to her own individual and to strive as a person on her own
how does this poem open
aunt jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen/ bright denizens in green
-shes embroidering the tigers onto a decorative screen
what do the first two lines of the poem indicate
- first and foremost it reiterated that Jennifer is an Aunt nothing less and certainly nothing more
- she is also placed carrying one of the most simplistic of domestic chores, sewing , because after all she is just a weak woman fulfilling her duties in a house
- because of her gender, she cannot be seen doing anything more extravagant or laborious
what does aunt Jennifer say in the second verse about the ivory needle
aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool /find even the ivory needle hard to pull
what does it being hard to pull and the ivory needle represent
- the fact that it is hard to pull tells us aunt Jennifer is weak and she is hardly able to pull her fingers through the wool to separate it
- this juxtaposes with the supposedly tough and courageous men she is surrounded by
- in addition it is not shocking that rich is using her ivory needle as ivory is often seen as a symbol of imperialism
- her life is basically being dictated by her husband and by the patriarchal world which she lives in
what does aunt jennifer say in the final verse
the tigers in the panel that she made will go prancing proud and unafraid
what does the final lines represent
that the piece of embroidery with the tigers she made will go on and outlive her
-however metaphorically this can be seen as a reminder that unless there is change the patriarchal society will always dominate women in the world
conclusion
in summation, in aunt jennifers tigers rich creates an artificial world where the tigers represent strength, freedom, prosperity and dominance as she previously makes reference to. she cannot wait for the day where the roles are reversed and man can finally get an insight into what its like to be oppressed, however she know that this is still a very long way off if not just a fantasy all together
