Jonah Cortezzo March 15, 2013 th
5 Period English Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers: The Real Meaning behind the Poem
There is a deep meaning within every poem that is often hidden within the text. In order to bring this meaning or theme out, an author will author will use poetic techniques to assist the reader’s comprehension. Having details described by a speaker; speake r; using figurative language, similes, and metaphors; and demonstrating a clear purpose are are common techniques used by authors. In the time that the the poem“Aunt poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich was written, women’s subjugation to men was a major issue in society, and is the obvious main theme to this poem. In “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”, Tigers”, the author uses these techniques, describing the aunt through the speak er’s er’s eyes and using figurative language for the purpose of emphasizing her theme of discrimination against women. In the poem, the aunt is described through the speaker ’s ’s eyes to help emphasize Rich’s feminist theme of women’s subjugation to men. men. For example, in the second stanza Rich elaborates upon the aunt, stating “The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding b and/Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand” (7-8). Here is shown how Aunt Jennifer’s husband has domination over her, controlling aspects of her life such as her marriage (“wedding band”) band”) due to him being a man (who during the time of the poem had authority and control over women). Furthermore, adjectives/adverbs used by the speaker (“massive”, “heavily”) show the speaker’s thoughts on the topic as they provide deeper meanings than weaker words the speaker could have provided, such as “big” or “strongly”. “strongly”. Additionally, Rich describes “They do not fear the men beneath the tree;/They pace in sleek chivalric certainty” (3-4). (3-4). “They” is referring to the tigers, telling how they do not fear being b eing controlled as Aunt Jennifer is. Here it can be seen how the
Poetic Analysis Essay
speaker feels that while Aunt Jennifer is heavily controlled b y her uncle, the tigers are free from control co ntrol from anyone; the author has empathy with Aunt Jennifer, realizing that she is sewing the picture of the tigers as the freedom the picture represents is what Aunt J ennifer truly desires. Therefore, due to the tone and empathy towards Aunt Jennifer the speaker provides throughout the poem, it is shown that Rich describes Aunt Jennifer through the eyes of the speaker to help emphasize her poetic theme of discrimination against women. In the poem, the author uses figurative language such as symbolic meanings to help emphasize her theme of women’s of women’s suppression to men. For example, in the second stanza, Rich writes “Aunt Jennifer’s finger fluttering through her wool/Find even the ivo ry needle hard to pull” pu ll” (5-6). (5-6). In these lines, though the wool and ivory needle are literal objects of the poem, they are also a part a part of Rich’s figurative language, being symbolic as well. The Th e wool represents the situation Aunt Jennifer is in (her un cle having male domination over her and controlling her marriage), and when she states that the ivory needle is “hard to pull”, she is suggesting that the situation she is in is “hard to” escape from. In addition to these symbols, Rich also writes “Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,/Bright topaz deniz ens of a world of green” (1-2).This (1-2).This meaning is both literal and figurative; the tigers are not real tigers, rather weavings of tigers made by Aunt Jennifer. Jenn ifer. Along with this, the tigers also represent the freedom Aunt Jennifer desires, desires, as they “prance across a cross a screen” freely in a “bright” (suggestively good) world. world. Consequently, through the symbols and figurative language the author uses, it can be observed that Rich uses this technique to add to and emphasize her main feminist theme of the poem, discrimination against women. In the poem, the author clearly c learly demonstrates that the purpose of writing her poem is c entered on women’s subjugation to men. men. Near the end of the poem, Rich states that “When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie/Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by” mastered by” (9-10). (9-10). Here it is told how even
Poetic Analysis Essay
when Aunt Jennifer is dead, the subjugation she went through as a woman and wife will continue to happen throughout time. This meaning is a key point and undoubtedly validates that the main purpose of Rich’s poem is feminism. feminism. Furthermore, the author says how “The tigers in the panel that she made/Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid” (11-12). (11-12). The tigers in this instance represent the freedom Aunt Jennifer wishes to have for women. As the freedom “Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid”, this shows how the Aunt Jennifer wishes for freedom to keep being attempted to be reached. As this is Aunt Jennifer’s dream, the author consequently makes it ap parent that her theme of this poem is women’s subordination to men. In conclusion, Rich encloses meaning to the lines she composes and demonstrates that the purpose of poem is to explain the theme of discrimination of women. Adrienne Rich uses various techniques to convey her main theme to readers. By describing Aunt Jennifer Jennifer through the speaker’s eyes, using figurative language, and defining a proper purpose of the poem, Rich is able to properly bring upon the theme of feminism and discrimination to the reader. In effect, this causes the reader to think deeply and more in depth about both the poem and the topic. Aunt Jennifer represents the subjugation against women, while her uncle represents the man with the authority au thority over her. The tigers represent the freedom Aunt Jennifer desires to have. The meaning meanin g of this poem can be extracted easily by the techniques used by the author, providing the reader with a much more enjoyable and informative poetic experience. “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” delves into a much deeper meaning if one can connect conn ect it to its proper roots; this is discrimination against women, an issue that has lasted many years and that has affected women in numbers much greater than just Aunt Jennifer.
Poetic Analysis Essay
