Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
By Adrienne Rich
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.Aunt Jennifer’s finger 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.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.
Summary of Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
- Popularity of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”: Published in 1951, Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers by Adrienne Rich, an American poet, presents the world of embroidery, a specific field of women. The presentation has rather mesmerized the readers, not only about the speakers and the subject matter but also about the presentation itself. The poem has evoked highly controversial responses from a patriarchic and feministic point of view. Therefore, the popularity of the poem rests on its subject matter as well as the debates it has raised.
- “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” As a Representative of Patriarchal Oppression vs. Feminine Resistance: Although the speaker presents a simple tale of an aunt, perhaps his own aunt, Jennifer, who is engaged in weaving tigers on the wool of her husband, Uncle. The name of the man does not appear in the poem, but the term, Uncle, points to the mature years of the person. She is wearing the wedding band of her Uncle as it oppresses her more than her physical strength until she is dead. However, in the last verses, the scene of her tigers prancing shows how feminine resistance appears in the shape of perhaps creativity or even the sons of Uncle. This host of critical responses shows the beauty of the poem as well as the speaker.
- Major Themes in “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”: Feminine creativity, oppression, and love for nature are three major thematic strands of this poem. The poet beautifully presents the oppression of the female and their creative power that the tigers embroidered by his aunt still haunt him, and they continue to prance around without being afraid of anything or anyone. Interestingly, despite the oppression after which the aunt breathes her last, her love for creativity and nature continues to rule the world in the shape of tigers which are her creations. This creation could be in the shape of offspring, or siblings, or tigers in the green world of embroidery.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
Adrienne Rich used various literary devices to enhance the beauty of his poem. Some of the major literary devices used in this poem are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /o/ in “Bright topaz denizens of a world of green” and the sound of /e/ in “When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /f/ in “finger fluttering” and /p/ in “prancing, proud.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /d/ in “When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie” and the sound of /s/ in “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Adrienne Rich used imagery in this poem, such as “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty”, “Find even the ivory needle hard to pull” and “Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.”
- Irony: It means to the contradictory meanings of the words used in different contexts. For example, the verse “When Aunt is dead” shows the irony of this creativity and oppression.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used the extended metaphor of lions for the sons of the aunt.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as the green, topaz, finger, and wool to show the world of women undergoing oppression.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows very good use of formal and poetic diction.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Adrienne Rich has used end rhyme in this poem, such as band/hand or made/unafraid.
- Irregular Rhyme Scheme: The poem does not follow any fixed rhyme scheme. It is ABCC in two stanzas and none in the first one. Therefore, it is called an irregular rhyme scheme.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem, with the first one having three verses and the last two having four each. They are also quatrains in a sense, as both have four verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a creative as well as an ironic tone that is optimistic at the end.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote about the relations of uncles and aunts and their love.
Aunt Jennifer’s finger 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.