AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS BY ADRIENNE RICH

AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS BY ADRIENNE RICH

Submitted By: Mansib Ali Hashmi

AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS SUMMARY

The speaker tells us about her Aunt Jennifer's needlework tapestry, which features beautiful bright tigers prancing. Snazzy! The tigers are strong and don't have any fears, so they have that going for them. Aunt Jennifer, though, isn't so free. The speaker tells us about the metaphorical weight of Aunt Jennifer's wedding ring and implies that her marriage was unhappy and held her back from the life that she wanted to measure. The speaker then tells us that, when Aunt Jennifer is dead, she is going to still wear the ring that symbolizes the wedding that trapped her. Major bummer. But, the speaker says, consolation alert! The tigers will keep prancing in her needlework, and Aunt Jennifer are going to be immortalized through her art.

“ABOUT THE POEM”

‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ may be a poem which reflects a girl who is stressed thanks to social restraints and responsibility of a perfect wife. She may be a lady who lacks confidence, strength, and also the very sense fearlessness. She doesn't dare to travel against the established and customary way of life. Rather she chose to rebel by her needle work. Through the needlework she rebels against her husband’s dominance and against her subdued life. She gives tongue to her desire through the tigers that she reflected by her needle work. Her tigers actually represent what she lacks. Her tigers are brave, courageous unafraid, proud and chivalric. What she desires from her husband could be a little honour, importance and value as a true wife. and he or she desires to bring an end to the social beliefs about women where they're treated on be ruled by the male dominating society.

“STRUCTURE OF THE POEM"

The poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger’ is written in 12 lines, 3 stanzas with 4 lines equally divided. the full poem is written in a very rhyme scheme of aabb. The poem acquaints us with the poetic devices like ‘Alliteration’, ‘Anaphora’, ‘imagery’, ‘inversion’, ‘personification’ etc.

“IMPORTANT THEMES IN AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS”

AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS THEME of girls AND FEMININITY

"Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" appears like a ball of excellent times, or a minimum of some big cat-themed excitement. In reality, though, it's a few woman whose life has been restricted by the patriarchal (male-dominated) society within which she lives. Now, the poem doesn't give us any facts about this—it doesn't tell us, for instance, that Aunt Jennifer wasn't allowed to travel college, or that Aunt Jennifer's husband didn't give her any say in financial matters. But the poem does strongly suggest that Aunt J's opportunities in life are limited by her gender, and also by her marriage, which left her "terrified." Bad times. Her wedding band's "massive weight," the ordeals that mastered her—Aunt J has suffered thanks to her gender.

AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS THEME OF ART AND CULTURE

In "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers," the restrictions that bind Aunt Jennifer in life don't bind her in art. So, a minimum of she has got that going for her. Aunt J's needlework allows her to experience a world of deep green forests and prancing brave tigers (oh my!) that's incredibly different from the important life that she leads—the one that's weighed down by the sadness and strictures of her marriage and her gender. Art during this poem may be a quite freedom, a freedom accessible to everyone, even the disempowered.

AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS THEME OF IMMORTALITY

When it involves poetry, immortality is just about right up there amorously on the cliché-ometer. lots of poets seem to be obsessive about the thought of their immortality. So it's really no surprise that the theme of immortality—of life after death—shows up in "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers," too. The speaker imagines that the tigers will continue prancing after Aunt J's death, and thus Aunt J are able to carry on through her art. Sweet. while Aunt Jennifer's tapestry won't be as famous as those sonnets by that immortality-seeker Shakespeare, Aunt J still gets to be immortal in her own way. Also, let's have a look at Willy Shakespeare attempt to sew a tapestry. We didn't think so, Bill.

STANZA-WISE CRITICAL APPRECIATION

STANZA – 1

From the primary stanza we are transported from the 000 world to the imaginary world of Aunt Jennifer. She reflects her pain and desires through her embroidery. Through her embroidery she unfolds her desire for freedom from her husband. She portrays what she desires to be; how she wants her life to be like one which can have the spirit to face all the oppression in life. She portrays tigers on her screen meaning the lacuna of herself i.e. the bravery and strength. they're prancing and are referred as “bright topaz denizens of green” and these hint their limitless, free and spirited existence. after we stumble upon, “they don't fear the lads below the tree” we realize, how Aunt Jennifer longed to be brave and free from the suppression. This even evokes her hatred towards the male dominated society. She even rings the voice of these many ladies who are laid low with the male domination. Her tigers within the screen are fast, smooth, brave and assured.

Poetic devices in use “

1) Anaphora – “They ...........................They .........................,

2) Alliteration – “Chivalric certainty”, “the tree” etc.

STANZA – 2

The second stanza reflects about the realistic side of Aunt Jennifer. She is busy at her work of embroidery. Her fingers are fluttering while working along with her needle. Her fluttering of fingers don't suggest her being sick or weak, rather this reflects her tensed status. She is feeling her fingers fluttering and heavy to drag the ivory needle. it's thanks to the huge weight of the ring of the uncle. The ring works as twine which limits and abounds her in social obligations and suppression and at the identical time snatches away her freedom. The ivory needle connects indirectly to elephants, another species reputed for courage and not being unafraid. The words ‘massive weight’ and ‘heavily’ suggest that this marriage is like unwanted burden to her life and turned her life to be a futility one.

Poetic Devices in use

1) Alliteration – ‘fingers fluttering’

2) Enjambment – “...........fluttering through her woo

Find even .............”

3) Hyperbole – the huge weight of uncle’s ring

STANZA – 3

The third and last stanza may be a bit futuristic one. The poet here brings contrasting pictures. When she would die her hands will still reflect the terrors she lived in her life time. Her finger with uncle’s band reflect the penury she bore in her lifetime. But at the identical time her tigers will remain the identical, brave, courageous, free reflecting her missing self. they're going to stand because the refuting force against the male dominated society.

Poetic – devices in use 1) Personification – terrified hands. 2) Climax – will persist prancing, proud, and afraid