A Closer Look at “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers ” Kate Kessel Comp II, Dr. KusnetzFebruary 22, 2005 The poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich was written in 1950. At first glance, it appears to be a feminist piece whose sole purpose is to point out the ways in which a particular woman (Aunt Jennifer) is oppressed. However when a closer look is given, there is much more to this piece. When the poem is read line by line, much more meaning can be gleaned from it.
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers prance across a screen,” the screen would seem to be a tapestry of some kind on which Aunt Jennifer stitched tigers. “Bright topaz denizens,” the tiger Aunt Jennifer stitched are a bright green-blue, possibly symbolizing royalty, truth and growth all at the same time. Topaz is also a semiprecious stone which comes in an array of different colors, quite a few birth stones are varying shades of topaz. The most common colors are blue and amber.
Amber topaz would be about the color of a physical tiger. Blue topaz is December’s birthstone, possibly symbolic of the winter of Aunt Jennifer’s life, either physically or psychologically. “They do not fear the men beneath the tree” this line is used more to point out the fact that Aunt Jennifer is afraid of men, rather than to state the fact that a tiger would not be afraid of man. The word man here directly refers to ‘male’ rather than to ‘mankind.’ However, a tiger might be afraid of a man. Men can be just as fierce as any animal nature made. This might be a slight joke on the part of the author.
The Essay on Aunt Jennifer Tigers Poem Life Rich
Aunt Jennifer's Tigers By Adrienne Rich Aunt Jennifer's tigers stride across a screen Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath ... society). Aunt Jennifer's tigers represent what women desired to be like during that time period. The tigers are do not fear men and ... for them by men. The tiger is free to roam do whatever he wants in a world full of color. So instead ...
Maybe women are not the only beings that fear men. The fact that the men are beneath the tree might be implying that they are relaxing in the shade while Aunt Jennifer is in the house. Though the tigers are obviously not pacing, this line leads me to consider if Aunt Jennifer stitched the tigers on some kind of flag which flies over the tree her husband is lounging beneath. When the wind blows, the tigers would seem to move. The fact that the tigers not only move, but “pace in sleek chivalric certainty” seems to paint a picture of what the author, or Aunt Jennifer, believes to be ideal behavior. The tigers are strong and graceful, noble and proud, assertive and aggressive.
Aunt Jennifer seems to desire these traits. “Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool,” a good guess is that the tigers were stitched onto wool. Aunt Jennifer’s “fluttering” fingers serve to evidence her industrious nature, a trait that has been so valued in women since time began. However, Aunt Jennifer’s fingers “find[ing] even the ivory needle hard to pull” might suggest that customary expectations are becoming difficult for her to live up to. The needle being ivory is interesting.
In the fifties, needles were made out of metal. An ivory needle might be a symbol of past years, when women lived in much the same way as Aunt Jennifer. At the same time the needle symbolizes the exotic; the ivory probably coming from Africa (a place Aunt Jennifer will never see).
Aunt Jennifer is also becoming weak.
She tires easily at a task that she finds to be her only escape from her own life. “The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band” implies that Aunt Jennifer’s marriage is taxing her. Instead of her wedding band being a symbol of love and support, she views it as her burden, even shackles. The ring “sits heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand.” She can feel its weight all the time. “When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie,” Aunt Jennifer lived in fear, whether the fear was based on the acts of her husband is uncertain, however the next line makes me think she did have problems with him. Even in death Aunt Jennifer will “still [be] ringed by the ordeals she was mastered by.” ‘Ringed’ again refers to the wedding band, which was the source of her “ordeals.”The tigers on the panel she made will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.” When Aunt Jennifer is dead, and she can say no more, her legacy will not depend on her husband and children speaking of her as a good wife and mother.
The Essay on Rich Aunt Jennifer
Imaginative Transformation Adrienne Rich writes, For a poem to coalesce, for a character or an action to take shape, there has to be an imaginative transformation of reality which is no way passive (610). Imaginative transformation means to be able to look at something from different perspectives, what might seem black to one might be white to the another. Imaginative transformation allows one to ...
Her tigers are immortal and will testify to what kind of woman Aunt Jennifer was. However, only those who look close enough will get the chance to really see. Though Aunt Jennifer seems to be rebelling against her oppression, patriarchy, it is questionable how effective her attempt was. Not only did she rebel in a quiet way, she rejected social standards in a socially acceptable way. This harmed the success of her attempt.
Needlework was such a common, agreeable past time for a woman, not to mention useful, that Aunt Jennifer’s argument lost potency. It would be like arguing against using a specific language in the language you claim to hate. In this way Aunt Jennifer objected to her oppression in a way that the oppressor would allow. This did not help her to get her point across. I was drawn to this poem the first time I read it. I’m not exactly sure why, I’m not at all a strong feminist.
I generally tend to be more traditional, but I love the imagery and underlying meaning that runs rampant in this piece. The title seems so clear and unassuming that by the time you have finished the second line, you feel you have been taken in. Ms. Rich catches the reader off guard in this sense. I think that is part of what I like about it. I also enjoy the fact that the poem is all meat.
There is not a word in it that does not flow or act as a mere “filler,” everything has a literal meaning, then one or two other meanings hiding beneath the first.
