CBSE Class 12 English Aunt's Jeniffer Tigers Notes Set 04

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

About the Poet

Adrienne Rich (1929 - 2012) was an American poet, essayist and radical feminist. She was called one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century. She is widely known for her involvement in contemporary women's movement as a poet and theorist. Her work is known for its unapologetic exploration of complex themes, including gender, identity and social justice. Rich's poetry often challenged societal norms and power structures, advocating for women's rights and equality.

Central Idea of the Poem

‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ by Adrienne Rich is a short but powerful poem that explores themes of women’s oppression, marriage and constraint within patriarchal societies along with the enduring strength of art.
Through the metaphor of Aunt Jennifer’s embroidered tigers, the poem depicts her desire for freedom and empowerment, contrasted with her life of submission and fear under her husband’s dominance. The tigers symbolise Aunt Jennifer’s aspirations for strength and autonomy, which are unattainable in her marital reality. Adrienne Rich explores the tension between personal creativity and societal expectations, highlighting the struggle for women to assert themselves and find agency in a world that often limits their expression and stifles their individuality. Ultimately, the poem highlights the pervasive impact of gender inequality and the longing for liberation within oppressive structures.

Explanation of the Poem

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.”

Exp. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance and move across a screen or panel. The poet describes them as bright-coloured like the shining golden-yellow jewel topaz. They are free inhabitants of the green forests and are not scared of the men standing under the tree. These tigers move about with grace, elegance and confidence.
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are not real or living tigers. They are images created by her on tapestry. Aunt Jennifer, who is held captive by the oppressive hand of a patriarchal society, creates in her art an alternate world of freedom. The tigers represent her dreams and her desire to be free from constant fear and oppression that govern her life. These majestic and fearless tigers also present a sharp contrast to Aunt Jennifer herself, who is bound by the constraints of married life.

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.”

Exp. In the second stanza, Aunt Jennifer appears to be creating beautiful images of the tigers by using wool. But she finds even the ivory needle quite hard to pull. She is so terrorised and tortured that her fingers are shaking. The uncle’s wedding band seems heavy on her hand. It suggests that she feels burdened with her marital responsibilities.
Through this stanza, the poet wants to convey the fact that a woman is subjugated throughout her life. After marriage, she is burdened with so many responsibilities and expectations that marriage itself becomes a burden. This is also the reality of Aunt Jennifer’s life.

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.”

Exp. In this stanza, the poet says that even death will not be able to release Aunt Jennifer from the trauma she had to undergo during her lifetime. Her life will be a story of her ordeals and the oppression that she was subjected to. However, the tigers created by her will be eternal. They will always be ‘proud and unafraid.’ Here we get a glimpse of an oft-quoted conventional theme in poetry that art endures beyond human life.
Perhaps, the poet wants to say that the women, who are creating these tigers, need to break their shackles and be unafraid like the tigers themselves. One more thing that can be inferred from the poem is that Aunt Jennifer, who for long has borne the miseries she was subjected to, now longs for freedom from dominance and male chauvinism.

Word-Meaning

• 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 — moving with a light irregular or trembling motion
• massive — heavy
• wedding band — wedding pact, signifying marital duties
• ringed — confined or tied up
• ordeals — unpleasant or painful experiences
• mastered — controlled
• panel — flat board

Literary devices used in the Poem

• Tone: Sympathetic
• Rhyme Scheme: aabbccddeeff
• Alliteration: Stanza 2, Line 5 ‘Fingers fluttering’ (repetition of ‘f’ sound); Stanza 3, Line 12 ‘prancing proud’ (repetition of ‘p’ sound)
• Pun: Stanza 3, Line 10 ‘ringed’ (refers to the wedding ring as well as a jail)
• Symbols:
  ‘Aunt Jennifer’ as symbol of all women
  ‘Tigers’ as symbols of Aunt’s desires and dreams, untamed free spirit
  ‘Wedding Band’ as symbol of Patriarchal male domination, unhappy marriage
• Transferred Epithet: Stanza 3, Line 9 ‘terrified hand’ (Aunt Jennifer is herself terrified)