Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
By Adrienne Rich
Aunt Jennifer's Tigers is a poem about an
oppressed woman who escapes into an
alternative world of embroidery and sewing,
despite a heavy marriage to a terrifying man.
It's a formal rhyming poem, an early example
of Adrienne Rich's work.
SUMMARY
"Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" is a 1951 poem by American poet
Adrienne Rich. It appeared in her first published book of
poems, A Change of World. Told from the perspective of an
anonymous speaker, the poem describes a woman, Aunt
Jennifer, who crafts vibrant tapestry panels (depicting tigers)
to escape—mentally, at least—her unhappy marriage.
Written at a time when divorce was unacceptable, the poem
criticizes the traditional institution of marriage, suggesting
that it oppresses women.
Aunt Jennifer creates a needlepoint that shows tigers leaping across the canvas. Bright and
vibrant, like topaz gems, the tigers live within the green world of the canvas. They are not
afraid of the men standing underneath the tree, who are also depicted in the image. The
tigers walk with certainty, shining and courageous.Aunt Jennifer's fingers swiftly and
delicately work the yarn, yet she finds it physically difficult to pull even a small needle made
of ivory through the canvas. Her husband's wedding band feels huge, and weighs down
heavily on her hand.

Aunt Jennifer's fingers swiftly and delicately work the yarn, yet she finds it physically difficult
to pull even a small needle made of ivory through the canvas. Her husband's wedding band
feels huge, and weighs down heavily on her hand.
When Aunt Jennifer dies one day, her frightened hands will finally be still. Yet they will still be
marked by the difficulties that ruled over her while she was alive. Meanwhile, the tigers she
created will continue to leap across her needlepoint without shame or fear.
Marriage, Gender, and Power
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.
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 flects 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
dynamic 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.
“Aunt Jennifer's Tigers”
Poetic Devices
Personification. The tigers are personified throughout the poem
when they are described as being proud, confident, and unafraid of
men. …
Imagery. .... 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’.
Hyperbole. ... Hyperbole [Exaggeration] The poetexaggerates the

weight of her husband’s wedding ring to make a point about how
dominating he is.
Metaphor The poet compares the yellow stripes of the tigers to a
precious stone, topaz.2.
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’.
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.
Aunt Jennifer's Tigers” Poetic Devices (Usage)
Where personification appears in the poem:
● Line 3: “They do not fear the men beneath the tree;”
● Line 4: “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.”
● Lines 11-12: “The tigers in the panel that she made / Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.”
The poem opens with vibrant imagery describing the tigers pictured in Aunt Jennifer's craftwork. The reference to a "screen"
in line 1 signals to the reader that these tigers are part of a tapestry or canvas—a hint that is confirmed in the second
stanza, which describes the actual act of Aunt Jennifer's working with a needle and wool.The vivid imagery continues
as the topaz tigers are set against a color-contrasting backdrop, "a world of green." This color
suggests a natural setting, such as a forest, which the tigers are denizens—inhabitants—of.

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Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

heavily on her hand.

feels huge, and weighs down heavily on her hand.

marriage serves to oppress women.

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.

"massive weight of Uncle's wedding band," a symbolic representation of

dynamic in the poem is one of Master/Slave.

a woman in marriage is traditionally considered the man's property.

Imagery. .... Imagery The main images are of Aunt Jennifer as a

Hyperbole. ... Hyperbole [Exaggeration] The poetexaggerates the

● Line 3: “They do not fear the men beneath the tree;”

● Line 4: “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.”

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