AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS

By- Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich

Twentieth century poet, critic, scholar and feminist, Adrienne Rich wrote ‘Aunt Jennifer’s
Tigers’ as a part of her first book of poetry ‘A Change of World’ (1951).

Feminism was making its presence felt in the 1950s fighting for equal voting, legal and social
rights for women. This poem is Adrienne’s voice against the emotional and physical brutalities
women face as part of their marriages especially, in a patriarchal society.

On the surface, this is a simple poem with an uncomplicated rhyme scheme about a woman busy
with needlepoint. However, the true meaning emerges when the layers are peeled.

Relevant Background

 Adrienne Rich is an American poet who was born in 1929.

 She was brought up in a well-off family.

 Adrienne was the elder of two daughters.

 Her father was a doctor and her mother was a music composer.

 She grew up in with a Jewish father and a Protestant mother. As a result of this mixed
marriage she was used to tensions between her parents. While Rich was growing up, she
had to put up with moments of tense silence in her household.

 Rich felt dominated by her father’s strong personality while growing up. It was he who
most guided her as a young poet. This wasn’t always to her liking as he expected her to
write her poems his way.

 When Rich was growing up, men dominated and women were expected to become
dutiful wives in their adult lives.

 All these elements may have influenced the picture of marriage Rich drew in this poem.
At the heart of the poem is an image of a husband who controls and frightens his wife.

 Rich wrote a lot of poems based on everyday experience. One topic she often featured
was the tension women felt due to being dominated by their husbands.

 In ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ Rich is mocking the weakness of Aunt Jennifer and the clout
and authority of Jennifer’s husband in their marriage.
  Rich was also fascinated by how people could use a hobby like artwork to create a
happier and prettier world than their daily life.

 Rich has been one of America’s most important female poets for the past fifty years.

EXPALANTION OF THE POEM –

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.

Explanation

 The poet is talking about a lady whom she addresses as aunt, Jennifer.

 She is embroidering a piece of cloth. It could be a table cloth or a wall hanging.

 The pattern shows tigers who are moving and jumping around all over the fabric.

 They are bright yellow in colour like the colour of the topaz stone (use of metaphor).

 The dense green forest background is their home.

 They are the proud and fearless citizens of the forest.

 Here is a contrast between Aunt Jennifer and her tigers. The tigers are fearless but this
lady, who is embroidering them is not so.

 The tigers look elegant, shining and full of the gentleman’s grace.

The poet is describing a lady whom she addresses as Aunt Jennifer. She says that Aunt Jennifer
is doing embroidery on a piece of cloth which could be a table cloth or a wall hanging. She has
designed it with beautiful tigers which are running fearlessly in the green forest. She has
described their beauty by comparing them with a precious yellow stone known as topaz. She says
that they appear bright yellow in the green backdrop of the forest. They are fearless and they are
not affected by the presence of men. Here we can sense the contrast of behavior between the
tigers and aunt, though the tigers designed by her are fearless but she herself is afraid of her
husband. Further, the poet says that the tigers are proud and fearless citizens of the forests. They
are very shiny and elegant.

Literary Devices

Rhyme scheme: aabb

Anaphora: use of same word in two consecutive lines (they do not … and they pace in…)
Metaphor: Use of topaz to describe the yellow color of tigers (Bright topaz)

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.

Explanation

 The lady’s fingers are trembling with the fear of her husband.

 She is pursuing her hobby in her free time but probably, she is still afraid of her husband
who could scold her.

 Her fingers are so tired of working endlessly all her life

 The needle is also heavy for her to pull out of the cloth.

 The words ‘uncle’s wedding band’ as the band was bought by her husband, it is his till
today.

 The lady is dependent on her husband.

 She is still burdened by the weight of the ring. ‘Weight’ means the encirclement or
trapping that has fallen upon her by getting married to him, she has been burdened by the
obligations of married life, has become the man’s property.

 She has been living a demanding life due to which she has worn out in her old age.

Here the poet describes the fear of Aunt Jennifer towards her husband. She says that while she is
doing embroidery, her fingers are quivering (shaking) with fear of her husband. Her husband
doesn’t approve of her hobby of embroidery. Therefore, she trembles while she is embroidering
the piece of cloth. It has become difficult for her to pull her needle up and down. Then she
describes the wedding ring which was given by uncle to Aunt Jennifer on their wedding day. She
says that it is a kind of burden for her to wear this ring. She has been tortured by her husband so
much that the wedding ring which could have been a beautiful gift for her seems like a burden to
her. She has faced so many difficulties in her married life that the little ring is described as a
heavy band on her trembling fingers. This means that the ring is associated with some bad
experiences in the form of torture she has faced because of her husband’s dominating behaviour.

Literary device:

Rhyme scheme: aabb

Alliteration: ‘f’ sound is repeated in finger fluttering

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.

Explanation

 Her wish to live a free, fearless life is indicated by her choice of design – tigers.

 It shows her innermost desire of being strong, fearless which has been overpowered by
her husband.

 Probably, her ordeal will end upon her death.

 Her frightened, shaking fingers will be put to rest.

 But still, even after death, the ring shall remain on her hand, i.e. her husband’s rule over
her is not yet over!

 After her death, her desire of freedom and fearlessness shall remain alive in these tigers
which she has embroidered.

The poet says that one can easily sense aunt’s desire for freedom and fearlessness through her
design of tigers. Further she says that it is not possible for aunt to achieve this freedom during
her lifetime. She will attain it only after her death but here also the irony of her life is that still,
she will be tied up with shackles in the form of her husband’s wedding ring. The ring was the
sole proof of the tortures which she had faced from her husband. On the other hand, there are
the tigers designed by Aunt Jennifer which will always depict her desire of living a fearless life
by jumping proudly and bravely on the piece of cloth.

Literary devices

Rhyme scheme: aabb

Alliteration: ‘p’ is repeated in prancing proud

Themes

1. Marriage is unequal due to male domination/Inequality

The woman at the centre of the poem, Aunt Jennifer, is a nervous and fearful wife. She lacks
inner conviction or ‘certainty’, unlike the tigers she portrays. Aunt Jennifer is ‘mastered’ in her
life. She lives a life of inequality. She is so nervous that her fingers ‘flutter’ through the wool she
is using in her tapestry or panel. The poet portrays the marriage of Jennifer as an unhappy one
for her. Aunt Jennifer feels the burden of duty and obedience. This is shown by the symbol of the
wedding ring that she wears. It is described as her husband’s property: ‘Uncle’s wedding band’.
It ‘sits heavily’ on her hand because he dominates her life. Her life with her husband is described
as a life of ‘ordeals’. It is shown that Jennifer is terrified in her marriage. Her husband may be
fiercer than the tigers she produces in her artwork. The poem therefore provides a negative
picture of marriage. The poem is probably saying that the ‘Uncle’ or husband is behaving like a
tiger, and the tigers are ‘chivalric’ like the husband should be. Each world is the reverse of what
it should be.

2. The world of art is happier than the real world/Dream versus Reality

Aunt Jennifer’s hobby is making designs and pictures from wool. Jennifer produces wool
tapestries that she places on panels. The creatures she places there are free and proud, the
opposite to herself. She is ‘ringed’ or mastered in marriage and therefore she is not free, but
controlled. It seems that she creates a happier looking world than the one she lives in. She makes
precise and brightly coloured pictures like the sharp yellow tigers of the poem, pictured against a
green background. These bright contrasting colours are probably much more vivid than
Jennifer’s everyday world. Her artistic work will live on after she dies, as, according to the poet,
her tigers will ‘go on prancing’. The figures she creates are stronger and happier than she is.
They are proud and ‘prance’ about, unlike their creator, who is nervous and fears her husband.
The word ‘prance’ contrasts sharply with ‘fluttering’, meaning trembling. The tigers do not fear
the men the aunt places under some trees in her tapestry. Therefore, the imaginary tigers
produced by Aunt Jennifer live a type of proud and free life that she can only dream about. It is a
‘chivalric’ world, one where gentlemen treat women with great respect. Yet this is also a false
world, as real tigers live out a battle for survival of the fittest, where the strongest dominate.
Perhaps Aunt Jennifer uses art as an escape from her troubles. In her artwork Jennifer imagines
the kind of life she would have liked.

Values raised in the poem: Respect for women, equality, equity, gender sensitivity, empathy,
feminism, value for art

Style

 Form This poem is a formal, structured lyric.

 Structure It contains three stanzas of four lines each

 Language Most of the words are short and simple everyday words. The sentences are
simple in structure and all take two lines.

 Diction The unusual word ‘denizens’ stands out and it shows how special the tigers are,
unlike how Aunt Jennifer feels about herself. The word ‘chivalric’ shows that the tigers
are proud and charming. It means they treat women with respect. The repetition of
‘prance’ [parade] is interesting and emphasizes the happy, confident life of the tigers.
  Full Stops and Commas Full stops are placed regularly at the end of every second line.
The poem is controlled, just like its subject, Aunt Jennifer.

 Comparison The tigers are compared to knights from the time of chivalry in the middle
ages.

 Imagery The main images are of Aunt Jennifer as a fearful wife and, secondly, the
magnificent tigers she creates in her panel. Images of precious substances run through the
poem: ‘topaz’, ‘ivory’ and the gold of ‘wedding band’.

 Metaphor The poet compares the yellow stripes of the tigers to a precious stone, topaz.

 Contrast [difference] The main contrasts are between nervous Aunt Jennifer and her
confident tigers. Another contrast is between the strong yellow and green colours. The
words ‘prancing’ and ‘fluttering’ contrast as well.

 Mood/Atmosphere Fear is the main atmosphere in Aunt Jennifer’s life of ‘ordeals’

where her fingers tremble and show terror. An air of freedom and confidence dominates
the atmosphere in her artistic creations. The men beneath the tree create an atmosphere of
mystery. The image of Aunt Jennifer’s corpse from the future is a bit eerie or creepy.

 Hyperbole [Exaggeration] The poet exaggerates the weight of her husband’s wedding
ring to make a point about how dominating he is.

 Paradox [apparent contradiction] Here a trembling and ‘mastered’ woman creates free
and confident creatures in her artistic endeavours. ‘Fluttering’ fingers produce something
that has ‘certainty’.

 Tone The tone appears to be positive and cheerful when the poet describes the tigers. See
the comment on sibilance below. The tone becomes sad and even creepy at times in
describing the life of Aunt Jennifer.

 Repetition The word ‘prance’ is repeated to emphasise the pride and freedom of the
tigers. ‘Ringed’ echoes ‘wedding band’.

 Alliteration [repetition of consonant sounds at the start of nearby words] e.g ‘p’ in
‘prancing proud’ emphasises the feeling of confidence expressed in the tigers’
movements.

Things to Note

1) Depiction of a woman trapped in the cultural constraints and responsibilities of marital life
and oppressive male dominance in a patriarchal society
2) Animal symbolism – the animals she sews represent Aunt Jennifer’s innermost desires to be
free, fearless, joyful, graceful, elegant, noble, powerful, assertive and confident.

3) Other symbols – Aunt (represents all women caught in poor marriages), wedding band (an
instrument symbolizing constraints and ordeals of a bad marriage), men beneath the tree
(predators, the uncle who has mastered aunt Jennifer’s spirit), tigers (innermost desires of Aunt
Jennifer)

4) Poetic devices – Alliteration (fingers flutter), hyperbole (massive weight), personification

(ring sits heavily upon aunt’s hand, tigers – chivalric, denizens), visual imagery (bright topaz,
world of green, ivory needle, fluttering fingers, prance, pace, wedding band sits heavily),
synecdoche (terrified hands), pun (ringed)

5) Themes – ordeals of marriage in a patriarchal society, art as a means of expression and escape

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers: An Analysis of Adrienne Rich’s Poem

Adrienne Rich’s “Aunt Jennifer Tigers” is a poem that concerns itself mainly with a woman
struggling to accept the indignities of her daily life while being insatiably focused on attaining
some sense of immortality once that life ends. Aunt Jennifer must find a way to deal with her
unhappy and submissive station in life, and she does so by embroidering exciting and memorable
works of art. Embroidery is her escape and in this case she’s escaping to a jungle where wild
animals rule the land and never show fear. The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer are beasts
demanding respect from even their predators. This demand for respect is something that Aunt
Jennifer is incapable of doing for herself. In the meantime, she will deal with her problems by
escaping from them. This escape into her art is shown vividly in the opening stanza of the poem
where the imagery is vibrant and alive and shows what Aunt Jennifer is capable of doing; it also
provides a glimpse into Aunt Jennifer’s subconscious in its portrayal of animals who don’t allow
themselves to be victimized by anyone. The tigers are literally prancing across the screen. The
image of something prancing immediately brings to mind a being that is confident and self-
assured and happy; all things that Aunt Jennifer is not. The tigers are not just simply tigers, of
course. They are “Bright topaz denizens of a world of green”. The use of colors implies that
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers and their land are more vital and enjoy a sense of freedom far greater than
her. Yellow connotes the sun and fierce energy, while green reminds one of spring and rebirth.
Aunt Jennifer is longing for both energy and rebirth. She cannot find it at home so she goes on
journeys into her art work. The tigers are foreign and that also brings speculation that Aunt
Jennifer would like to travel, which is just another form escape. The idea that the tigers sense no
fear of the predatory hunters is key. The assumption here is that Aunt Jennifer is afraid of her
own predator: her husband. He has hunted her and captured her and keeps her in a cage from
which her only escape is her hobby of embroidering. The tigers, on the other hand, do not live in
fear. They rather pace about as if they were kings of their domain. They are certain of their place
in the world and will allow no one or nothing to interfere. The tigers are to Aunt Jennifer the
ultimate creatures of self-actualization. They are exactly what she wishes she could be herself.
And in creating them so resplendently, they will live on long after their creator has passed on.

Aunt Jennifer is doing what she can to cope with an unhappy lifestyle and this melancholy is
made apparent in the second stanza of the poem, which deals in ambiguous images of rapidity
and heaviness to symbolize the need to escape from the stagnancy of her marriage. Aunt
Jennifer’s fingers are “fluttering through her wool” in the first line of the stanza and this suggests
that Aunt Jennifer is trying to embroider as fast as her fingers will allow. Complex questions
arise from this simple description of Aunt Jennifer’s embroidery. Why does she need to create
something so fast? Exactly what is she afraid of that would spur her on? Perhaps her fear is that
she will not live long enough to finish the creation. Perhaps she fears she will be interrupted in
the middle of her work. She is trying to do it as fast as she can, but then begin the images of
weight, of carrying a burden. The fact that the “ivory needle is hard to pull” insinuates that she’s
been embroidering for a long time. In fact, embroidery is probably what she does most of the day
when she’s not caring for her husband. The marriage to the speaker’s Uncle is perhaps Aunt
Jennifer’s greatest weight. After all, “The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band / Sits heavily
upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand”. This bulk is probably more emotional and mental than physical. It is
doubtful that Aunt Jennifer’s wedding band itself weighs down her hand so much that she can’t
sew as fast as she’d like. The weight is probably one in which her marriage didn’t turn out as she
planned. Perhaps she wanted children and never had any. Certainly no mention is made in the
poem of the speaker having cousins. Aunt Jennifer’s marriage has most likely turned out to be
her biggest disappointment and one that she would probably even like to escape. And for at least
a little while escape she does, right into her creation.

The final stanza argues for the successful grasping of a sense of immortality so eagerly sought by
Aunt Jennifer. This final portion of the poem contains imagery that reflects back on the first two
stanzas and completes the three-tiered approach to the poem as a consideration of the life-spirit
of someone who has not led the life they wanted contrasted with the bid for a satisfactory
afterlife. The stanza begins with a look forward to when Aunt Jennifer will no longer be alive
and creating her artistic pieces. The first line pointedly shows that Aunt Jennifer had terrified
hands which “will lie / Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by”. The line clearly harkens
back to the second stanza and its dealings with the burdens Aunt Jennifer lives under. What
could possibly have terrified her hands? And what ordeals was she mastered by? The most
obvious answer is made by connecting the ordeals back with the heavy weight of her wedding
band spoken of in the second stanza. Aunt Jennifer is more than likely abused-at least
emotionally-by her husband. She is quite literally mastered by her husband. Such is the need for
escape into her art. The final two lines of the stanza-and the poem-reflect back on the very
opening line. The tigers are still in the panel that she made and they continue to prance, “proud
and unafraid. The tigers that she fought so hard to create despite the overwhelming burden of her
life will, indeed, continue to prance forever. By the end of the poem, Aunt Jennifer has fulfilled
her need and achieved her own little sense of immortality. Her life was not in vain, she created
something out of nothing, something that will live on well after she is dead and buried.

The structure of the poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” is built upon the give and take of showing a
woman’s ability to create an everlasting work of art while dealing with the abject humiliation of
a living a life that is built on worries and woe. In three small stanzas of just four lines each, the
poem craftily builds toward the welcome conclusion that no matter how much life has to dish out
to a person and bring a person down, each of us can still achieve some small measure of respect
and immortality if we just have the discipline to do what we know we can do well. If a person
can find out what it is that he does well, he can achieve it and create for himself something that
will last long after he have created it. Aunt Jennifer successfully beat back the load that she was
forced to carry and created a small wedge of life everlasting for herself.

Summary –

In this poem, the poet describes a lady whom she addresses as Aunt Jennifer. The poet also says
that she is doing embroidery on a piece of cloth that could be a wall hanging or table cloth.
Moreover, she has made it with beautiful tigers that are prancing in the green forest. Further, she
describes their beauty in comparison to a topaz. As in the green background of the forest, they
appear bright yellow. Company of men does not affect them as they are fearless. At this point,
we can sense the contrast of behaviour between the aunt and tigers. Although tiger made by her
is fierce she is afraid of her husband. According to the poet, tigers are the proud and fearless
citizens of the forests. These creatures are very elegant and shiny.

In this second stanza, the poet defines Aunt Jennifer’s fear of her husband. While doing
embroidery she says that her fingers shake with the fear of her husband. As, probably her
husband does not approve her hobby of embroidery. Hence, she quivers while she is
embroidering the piece of cloth. Also, it becomes difficult for her to pull the needle up and down.
After that, she defines her wedding ring, which her husband had given to her on their wedding
day, as a kind of burden to wear this ring.

She feels this because her husband tortures her so much that she sees the wedding ring as a
burden instead of a beautiful gift by her husband. It is probably due to the difficulties that she has
faced in her married life that she describes the little wedding ring as a heavy band on her
trembling fingers. It also means that the ring is linked with some bad experiences in the form of
torture that she has faced. Further, this experience relates to the dominating behaviour of her
husband.

In the last stanza, the poet says that though aunt’s design of tigers can easily sense her desire for
freedom and fearlessness. However, the poet says that it is not possible for her to achieve this
freedom during her lifetime. Only after her death, she will attain freedom. But the irony here is
that even then she will be tied with chains in the form of her husband’s wedding ring. This
heaviness of the ring is the evidence of the pains that she had faced from her husband. On the
contrary, the tigers made by Aunt Jennifer will always portray her desire for living a fearless life
by jumping boldly and proudly on a piece of cloth.

Marriage, Gender and Power as in the Poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers –

In "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers," a woman referred to only as Aunt Jennifer uses embroidery as a
creative outlet while living (and ultimately dying) in an unhappy marriage. The poem describes
the "terrified" Aunt Jennifer's fear-filled existence in a marriage full of "ordeals" in which she is
ruled over by her husband, referred to simply as "Uncle." Published in 1951, a time when women
were expected to get married (and divorce was frowned upon), the poem suggests that the power
dynamic of a traditional heterosexual marriage serves to oppress women.

Aunt Jennifer is trapped in a difficult marriage to a man who terrifies her. Her fear is first hinted
at by the contrasting imagery of the tigers in the tapestries she creates, which are unafraid of "the
men beneath the tree." This could refer to hunters in a forest, out to kill the tigers. But the poem
suggests that the tigers are well-equipped to take on these men and, as such, have no reason to be
afraid—something that is certainly not the case with Aunt Jennifer herself.

The animals are also personified, described specifically as "chivalric." This is an old term often
used to describe the moral code of knights, and is used in modern times to refer to courteous
treatment of women. In likening the tigers' lack of fear to a "chivalric certainty," the poem thus
ties their bravery and pride to masculinity. This, in turn, suggests that such carefree "pranc[ing]"
is simply not possible for Aunt Jennifer, who is a woman, living in a patriarchal world (that is, a
world in which men hold most of the power).

Thus even as the tigers "do not fear the men beneath the tree," Aunt Jennifer is not just fearful
but "terrified" of her husband and this fear infuses every part of her life. In the second stanza,
Aunt Jennifer's fingers are described as "fluttering," suggesting anxiety and nervousness. The
hints of anxiety depicted in the second stanza escalate until, in the third stanza, Aunt Jennifer's
hands are described outright as "terrified."

The source of Aunt Jennifer's fear is clearly her marriage, which is presented as an oppressive
institution within which she is trapped. The nervousness of Aunt Jennifer's hands is directly
linked to the "massive weight of Uncle's wedding band," a symbolic representation of how
stifling and burdensome this marriage is. Aunt Jennifer's fingers are further portrayed as weak,
finding "even the ivory needle hard to pull" against the weight of this ring. This reflects the
oppressive nature of Aunt Jennifer's fear, which leaves her immobilized, meek, and unable to
stand up to "Uncle."

The psychological weight of Aunt Jennifer's marriage stems from the dynamic inherent to
traditional marriage, in which men dominate their wives. The ring is associated with "ordeals"
that Aunt Jennifer "was mastered by." The use of "mastered" suggests her husband as the master.
A "master" implicitly has a subject to dominate—a "slave." It's thus hinted that the Uncle/Aunt
relationship in the poem is one of Master/Slave.

The fact that it is "Uncle's" wedding band and not Aunt Jennifer's again affirms Uncle's
dominance in this relationship. It is his wedding band, not her own, that weighs her down. Uncle
owns the wedding band and, in a way, he also owns Aunt Jennifer. He is her master, reflecting
the reality that a woman in marriage is traditionally considered the man's property.

In the early 1950s, a woman like Aunt Jennifer would have been expected to marry (a man) and
stay home to take care of the household. Not only would divorce be considered socially
unacceptable, Aunt Jennifer would have limited options to support herself financially outside of
her marriage. Aunt Jennifer is thus trapped in her marriage, and her seemingly hopeless state is
contrasted by the freedom of the tigers.

Creative Expression & Personal Freedom in the poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

The unnamed speaker of the poem describes the life of Aunt Jennifer, a woman who cannot
escape her subservient role in her marriage. She also can't escape the marriage itself: written in
1951, the poem refers to a time where divorce was a social no-go. Hampered by her fear, the one
form of escape Aunt Jennifer does have is through her creative work—crafting tapestry panels
that show colorful scenes of bold and proud tigers. The poem argues that through her art (which
will live on well after Aunt, Uncle, and the unhappy marriage are long gone) Aunt Jennifer finds
an escape that not even death will grant her—a hint of freedom in the immortal nature of her
work.

Aunt Jennifer turns to needlework as a creative outlet, a means of coping with her difficult
marriage and escaping her oppressive everyday reality. The tapestry panels she crafts with her
needle and wool show tigers "prancing, proud and unafraid." This mood contrasts sharply with
the seemingly meek and scared character of Aunt Jennifer herself. While the tigers are walking
confidently, Aunt Jennifer can barely pull the ivory needle through her wool, due to the weight
of "Uncle's wedding band."

The speaker describes how Aunt Jennifer's marriage is an obstacle to her creativity, but the poem
makes it clear that, at least in life, she continues her art nonetheless. The second stanza describes
Aunt Jennifer as fearful and anxious, with "fluttering" fingers. But despite the "weight of Uncle's
wedding band," she insists on creating, remaining resilient and perseverant.

The third stanza then describes Aunt Jennifer in death. Finally her hands "lie" still, highlighting
that her days of needlework are over. However, they remain "ringed with ordeals she was
mastered by," indicating that her marriage is still with her—perhaps literally, if she's buried
wearing her wedding ring.
Although Aunt Jennifer can't escape, in life or death, the weight of her difficult marriage or her
subservient role in it, her creative work remains a liberating force. Jennifer herself may not be
free, but her tapestries and their tigers are. What's more, the tapestries will outlive Aunt Jennifer,
Uncle, and their marriage, indicating that art can create an immortal kind of freedom that goes
beyond human oppression.

The tigers exist in their very own universe, as "topaz denizens of a world of green." This is a
plane of existence apart from the one Jennifer and Uncle share, and a world that is technically
immortal, as the artwork is inanimate. When Aunt Jennifer is dead, "the tigers in the panel that
she made will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.’

In creating vibrant, colorful art that depicts proud and unafraid tigers—tigers who aren't afraid of
men—Aunt Jennifer confronts her fear. While she may be stuck "ringed with ordeals" of her
marriage (even after death), the tigers will remain free in their "world of green." Perhaps Aunt
Jennifer finds comfort in this creative expression, crafting a bold tapestry that will outlive her
and Uncle both, and that shows nature's creatures living wild and unafraid, liberated from man-
made constraints like marriage.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

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.

a) Why is Aunt Jennifer doing with her wool?

Aunt Jennifer is embroidering beautiful images of tigers by using wool.

b) Why does she find it difficult to pull her ivory needle?

She finds it difficult to pull her ivory needle as she is terrorised and traumatised by the
constraints of her married life.

c) What does ‘wedding band’ stand for?

The wedding band stands for her martial responsibilities but she feels burdened by them as she is
not able to express herself.

d) Describe the irony in the third line.

The irony in the third line is that her marriage instead of proving blissful has overburdened her
with responsibilities and her wedding band symbolizes her bondage to her husband and his
overpowering nature.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

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

a)Why are the tigers called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers?

The tigers are called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers as they were being embroidered on the tapestry of
Aunt Jennifer.

b) How are they described here?

The tigers have been described here as bold and fearless and they move across the screen with
confidence.

c) How are they different from Aunt Jennifer?

The tigers are different from Aunt Jennifer as they are shown as symbols of strength, fearlessness
and confidence. Aunt Jennifer has been described as a timid female who is burdened with marital
responsibilities and she is lacking in confidence.

d) What does the word, ‘chivalric’ mean?

The world ‘chivalric’ means ‘gallant’ or ‘brave’.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

When Aunt is dead, her terrible 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

a) Who is the aunt mentioned here?

The aunt mentioned here is Aunt Jennifer, the protagonist of Adrienne Rich’s poem ‘Aunt
Jennifer’s Tigers’.

b) Why is she “ringed with ordeals”?

The ‘ring’ here refers to her wedding band or ring, which has brought with it a host of family
responsibilities. She feels so surrounded (i.e., ringed) by her marital constraints that it seems like
an ordeal to her.
c) What is the difference between her and the tigers?
Aunt Jennifer is quiet weak and submissive, whereas the tigers are strong, bold and powerful.
She is bound by the constraints of her married life, while the tigers are free to move about in the
green woods.
d) Why has Aunt Jennifer created the tigers so different from her own character?
The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer are an expression of her desire to free herself from the
constraints of her married life. She wants to be bold and fearless like her tigers.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.

They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty

a) Who are ‘They’? Where are ‘They’?

‘They’ refers to the tigers that Aunt Jennifer has embroidered on the panel. They are prancing in
the forest (across a screen).

b) Why are ‘They’ not afraid of men?

The tigers are not afraid of men because they are gallant and fearless creatures who are not afraid
of anyone.
c) What is the meaning of ‘sleek’?
The meaning of ‘sleek’ is ‘elegant’.

d) Who is the poet of this poem?

The name of the poet is Adrienne Rich
.
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (30 – 40 WORDS)

1. What picture of male chauvinism (tyranny) do we find in the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s
Tigers’?
In the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’, Aunt Jennifer was oppressed by her husband. She
was confined within the four walls of her husband’s house and was not free to do what
she wished. She was also overburdened by her marital responsibilities.
2. Aunt Jennifer’s efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile. Comment.
Although Aunt Jennifer tried her best to conquer her fear, she continued to be
traumatized and oppressed by her husband. Her act of embroidering fearless, prancing
tigers could only give a temporary release to her pent up feelings of liberation.
3. What is suggested by the phrase, ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?
The weight that lies heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand is the wedding band, which
symbolizes the harsh and difficult experiences of her married life. It is associated with
her husband as he has traumatized her.
4. Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals that are so different from her own
character?
In creating animals that are different from her own character, Aunt Jennifer found a
means of living an alternate life that is denied to her, a life that is proud, free and fearless.
Through this difference, the poet suggests Aunt Jennifer’s suppressed desire to become
bold and fearless, and free from oppression.
5. What are the difficulties that Aunt Jennifer faced in her life?
Aunt Jennifer was probably a victim of oppression at the hands of the patriarchal society.
She was subjugated by her husband and was not free to do what she wished.
6. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers present a sharp contrast to her. While the Aunt is weak, meek,
submissive and bound by restrictions, the tigers are strong, fearless, confident and free to
move wherever they wish.
7. How does Aunt Jennifer express her bitterness and anger against male dominance?
Aunt Jennifer expresses her bitterness and anger against male dominance silently through
her art. She creates tigers on her tapestry; animals that are unafraid of men and are
symbolic of bravery, fearlessness and strength.
8. Why has Aunt Jennifer made ‘prancing proud and unafraid’ tigers?
Aunt Jennifer lived a fearful and restricted life. She expressed her desire of being free,
unafraid and proud by embroidering tigers that were ‘prancing, proud and unafraid’.
9. What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead?
The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer would live forever. They will keep on prancing proud
and unafraid even after her death.
10. What kind of married life did Aunt Jennifer lead?
Aunt Jennifer was confined to live inside her husband’s house and was not free to do
what she wished. She was burdened with her marital responsibilities and led a traumatic
married life.
11. Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel?
Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because for her, the tigers were the
symbols of bravery, fearlessness and strength. Unlike her, they were not afraid of men
around them.
12. How do the words, ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of Aunt
Jennifer’s tigers?
‘Denizens’ means, that the tigers are inhabitants of the green world where they are free
from any kind of restrictions. ‘Chivalric’ means that they are brave and courageous.
13. What do the symbols , ‘tigers’, ‘fingers’ and ‘ring’ stand for in the poem, ‘Aunt
Jennifer’s Tigers’?
The ‘tigers’ are symbols of bravery and courage and also of Aunt Jennifer’s desire for
freedom. The ‘fingers’ are symbol of fear experienced by Aunt Jennifer and ‘ring’
symbolizes an oppressive and binding marriage.
14. How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits of tigers do they reveal?
 According to the poet, Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are golden-yellow in colour and are
prancing across the screen. They live in a forest and are sleek, chivalric, majestic, elegant
and unafraid of men.
15. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding the tiger’s attitude?
The tigers embroidered by Aunt Jennifer are free inhabitants of the vibrant green forests,
masters of their domain and movements. They are ‘chivalric’- i.e. noble and majestic,
pacing powerfully and confidently, fearless of the hunters. They stand in stark contrast to
their frail creator who is timid, fearful of her husband, confined and crushed in an
oppressive marriage.
16. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wool’ in the
second stanza? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?
Aunt Jennifer struggles to express her dreams through needlework, but her fingers
tremble nervously as she tries to pull the light ivory needle because she fears her
domineering husband, which has made her physically and emotionally frail. She is
weighed down by uncle’s wedding band – a symbol of her suffocating marriage and the
compulsions therein, in a patriarchal society.
17. What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?
Uncle’s wedding band is heavy as it is a symbol of bondage, of being crushed in an
unhappy marriage. It has kept her encircled and trapped in a burdensome marriage in a
patriarchal society – a relationship of subjugation and domination. It has restricted her
freedom and eroded her individuality.
18. Of what or whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the third stanza?
Even after death, Aunt would carry her fear of her domineering husband as she would yet
bear the burden of the wedding band on her finger. The ordeals faced by her in an
oppressive marriage would continue to terrify her.
19. What are the ordeals Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by, why is it significant that the
poet uses the word ringed? What are the meanings of the word ringed in the poem?
Aunt Jennifer’s ordeals are those suffered by all women who face physical, mental or
emotional trauma at the hands of insensitive husbands in a patriarchal society, restricting
a woman’s personal liberty and dignity. The wedding ring has kept her ringed in that is
trapped in a gender role – a victim of male domination.
20. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own
character? What might the poet be suggesting through this difference?
The timid and fearful Aunt Jennifer creates an alternative world of free and fearless tigers
to express her longing for freedom, a medium of escape from her grim marriage. The
ironical contrast underscores a warning by the poet against acceptance of subjugation by
women as it crushes their dreams, individuality and a full life.
Irony: It is ironical that Aunt Jennifer’s creations- the tigers will continue to pace and
prance freely, while Aunt herself will remain terrified even after death, ringed by the
ordeals she was controlled by in her married life.
21. Interpret the symbols in the poem
 Wedding band – It is a symbol of oppression in an unhappy marriage. Marriage is
socially and legally binding, making women silently accept their subjugation and male
domination, especially in a patriarchal society. Its weight refers to the burden of gender
expectations. Ringed means encircled or trapped, losing individuality and freedom. Aunt
Jennifer is a typical victim of male oppression in an unhappy marriage, who suffers loss
of individuality, dignity and personal freedom silently. She becomes dependent, fearful
and frail.
Tigers – They symbolize untamed free spirit. Here they are antithesis of their creator’s
personality. The use of colours implies that Aunt Jennifer’s tigers and their land are more
vital and enjoy a sense of freedom far greater than her. Yellow (bright topaz) connotes
the sun and fierce energy, while green reminds one of spring and vitality. They pace and
prance freely, proudly, fearless, confident and majestic in their bearing.
They are a creative expression of Aunt Jennifer that expresses the Aunt’s suppressed
desires and becomes her escape from the oppressive reality of her life.(last stanza) – as
opposed to Aunt Jennifer. ‘Pace’ and ‘prance’ are action words. The rhyme mimics the
movement of the tigers.
22. Do you sympathize with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards
her?
Aunt Jennifer’s plight as a victim of gender oppression in an unhappy marriage draws our
sympathy. However, the poet underscores that Aunt by accepting her suffering silently let
her life be completely mastered over by her husband and lost her personal freedom and
individuality. Her desires expressed in her art work will remain only a dream unless
women like her assert their equal status.