[English Notes] on Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary Pdf for Exam

About the Poet

Adrienne Rich was an essayist, a poet and radical feminist hailing from America. She became one of the most influential and popular poets in the 2nf half of 20th century. She had active participation in the contemporary women’s movement as the theorist and a poet. She conveyed strong resistance to militarism and racism through her body of work.

Theme

The theme of the poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger” relates to the issue and subject of make dominance in society. The theme wants to highlight the conflicts, issues and struggles that a woman has to face in the male chauvinistic society. Aunt Jennifer is essentially the protagonist in the poem and she symbolises or represents the women across the globe who have been victims of persecution and oppression due to the patriarchal system. The poet has expressed her concerns for the women via this poem.

Summary

The protagonist of the poem, Aunt Jennifer is doing the embroidery of Tigers on the piece of clothing with needles and wools which represents fearlessness, confidence, and strength. These Tigers are jumping and prancing with great confidence and they have been described as having a golden yellow colour. These Tigers are described as dwelling in the world of green as they live in dense forests. The Tigers are not afraid of the men who are standing under the tree, since they are bold, fearless, and strong. 

Aunt Jennifer is scarred and traumatized by the ordeals of male-dominated society and her marital life. This is why her fingers and hands are fluttering in fear and this is the reason why is unable to put the needle through the piece of cloth that she was supposed to be stitching. Aunt Jennifer was not able to withstand the burden and pressures of the responsibilities that are put on married women. She felt subjugated, compelled, and was not able to express herself freely. This poem delivers the message even when the protagonist is suffering hugely and might be dead from the outside, but the Tigers that exist within her not only help her to survive but also thrive. 

Explanation Line by Line

In the first line, Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers jump and move across a screen or panel. It says that Aunt Jennifer is stitching something that is not clear to the readers. She has created Tigers that are jumping and moving throughout. The Tigers represent her suppressed desires to become bold and fearless and free from oppression. 

In the second line, the Tigers are described as denizens or dwellers of dense green forest and are brightly golden coloured. The Tigers reside within Aunt Jennifer. Tigers usually live on their terms and fear no one, as they regard themselves to be superior in their domain. This shows that Aunt Jennifer has a deep desire to live on her terms and conditions in the male-dominated society. 

In the third line, the Tigers within Aunt Jennifer are a symbol of strength as they are not afraid of men standing under the tree. These Tigers are not real or living Tigers. They are the images created by her on a tapestry. Aunt Jennifer, who is confined and exploited by the oppressive hand of a patriarchal society, creates in her art an alternate world of freedom.

In the fourth line, the Tigers move about with grace, elegance and confidence. The Tigers symbolize her dreams, her desire to be free from the traumatized life that she is living. The poet points in this stanza that women need to have these qualities to fight against their male oppressors. 

In the fifth line of the second stanza, Aunt Jennifer has created beautiful images of Tigers with wool but her fingers are fluttering because she is nervous and most probably she is scared of her father. 

In the sixth line, she is so nervous and her fingers are shaking that she cannot even pull the ivory needle through the tapestry. 

In the seventh line, the Aunt is wearing her wedding ring and she finds the weight of the ring as a burden on her hand. This line indicates that she feels burdened with her marital responsibilities. 

In the eighth line, the ring on her finger is heavy because it metaphorically indicates restrictions and challenges in Aunt Jennifer’s married life due to her husband’s oppression over her. 

Through this stanza, the poet says that her Aunt throughout her life glorifies her husband but she feels so crushed now by the dominance of her husband that the marital responsibilities become a burden on her. 

In the ninth line of the third stanza, the poet says that her Aunt won’t be relieved of her trauma after her death. 

In the tenth line of the third stanza, the poet says that her Aunt Jennifer will always be subjugated by the burden of marital ordeals and oppressions by her husband even after her death. 

In the eleventh and the last line of the third stanza, the poet says that the Tigers created by Aunt Jennifer will remain eternal within her and they will always be proud and fearless, jumping and moving with elegance and grace. 

Conclusion

This poem delivers a very important message in the context of women’s experiences in a male-dominated society and how adversely it impacts the lives of women, especially married women. Through her imagination and craft, the poet touches on a very relevant and significant subject that continues to drive conversations even today. The poem implores the women to bring courage by breaking the shackles and becoming bold and fearless like the Tigers.