WHAT ADRIENNE RICH WANTS TO EXPRESS THROUGH AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS?
It is the same poem
we have read in our class 12th English book and maybe some were now reading
this poem in their class 12th syllabus but this poem was something that strikes
on my mind when I first read it in my class 12th class. With the use of many
alliterations and metaphors, this poem represents a powerful and realistic story.
The poem is as follows:
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;
The 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.
She also wants to
convey a message that one-day aunt Jennifer will die but her art will stay
alive and her desire to be fearless 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.
Aunt Jennifer's
tigers is a poem written by Adrienne Rich to express her feminist views on
male-dominated society. She talks about a woman’s experiences in her married
life.
She has tried to
explore the inner feelings of a woman who is living under the dominance of a
man. This poem first appeared in a book named ‘A CHANGE OF WORLD’. The poem was
written according to the time period when divorce and separation were not
acceptable and every third woman was suffering from male oppression, violence,
manipulations, etc. In this poem lady aunt, Jennifer is depicted as a woman who
is a victim of this male-dominated society and oppressive marital life.
Here are some word
meanings you should know before we proceed with our stanza wise explanations:
1. Prance- walk or move
around with high springy or jumping steps.
2. Topaz- a bright
yellow colored stone.
3. Denizens- Here, an
animal that lives or is found in a particular place.
4. Sleek- elegant
5. Chivalric- being
courteous especially to women, an act of a gentleman.
6. Ordeals- severe
oppression or violence is done by someone, painful expression.
7. Prancing- to move
around proudly.
8. Fluttering- moving
with a light irregular or trembling motion.
9. Panel- flat board.
10. Screen- Here, the
screen is the surface of the tapestry.
First stanza
explanation-
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;
The pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Aunt Jennifer is
moving across the screen or wall. Aunt Jennifer is embroidering tigers who are
moving or jumping all over the forest and embroidered in the tapestry. The
tigers are as yellow as a topaz stone and the forest in the background is their
(tiger) home. Here there is a contrast shown between what she wants to become
what she is in real life. She is embroidering a tiger who is fearless and
powerful which is directly opposite nature to aunt Jennifer's nature. The tiger
is looking elegant and full of the gentleman’s
grace.
Second stanza
explanation-
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.
Aunt Jennifer’s
fingers are trembling while embroidering with the ivory needle but the reason
behind why her fingers are trembling is the fear of her oppressive or
dominating husband. Her fingers are so tired and weak from working endlessly
throughout her life that now it is becoming very difficult for her to even lift
the weight of the ivory needle and pull it out of the cloth. She is pursuing
her hobby in her free time but at the same time, she is still afraid that her
husband might scold her for wasting time. She is living under the constant fear
of her husband that is depicted by the metaphor “massive weight of wedding band
sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand”. This marriage had been turned out as a
burden for her now but still, she is feared enough that she can’t end it.
Third stanza
explanation-
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.
In this stanza, she
is expressing her wish to be independent and fearless but this wish can’t be
fulfilled during her lifetime. Her wedding ring was the visible proof of
tortures or ordeals she has gone through, that’s why she is describing her
desires through those fearless tigers jumping proudly, freely, and bravely in
the forest designed in the piece of cloth (tapestry). These tigers will always stay
independent, and powerful even when she dies, her memories and desires will
stay alive.
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