In this poem the poet narrates the tale of an old woman

Aunt Jennifer. She is a typical housewife. The women

give birth to men and the same men tyrannise women
when they grow up. The poet says that Aunt is crushed
due to male chauvinism and it appears she won’t be free
from the bondage of her household chores even after
her death. Aunt Jennifer is old and submissive woman.
But the tigers she is embroidering on the panel appear
to be bold and chivalric. The suggestion given here is
that women give birth to men but the same men
tyrannise women when they grow up
. She is embroidering tigers on a frame. Aunt Jenni-fer
has suffered all her life because of male-dominance.
The tigers she is embroidering are in fact symbol of her
husband. They can also be seen as a symbol of a
woman’s creative energy. These tigers are jumping
across the screen. The poet says that these tigers
appear so real as if they were actually the inhabitants of
the jungle. Some men are shown beneath the tree. But
these tigers are fear¬less. They are not afraid of these
men. Aunt Jennifer has become so old that it appears
that her fin¬gers are trembling through wool. She has
become so weak that she even finds the needle hard to
pull.

The poet says that the uncle wedding band lies very
heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand. The poet means to say
here that Aunt Jennifer has to slavishly follow all the
orders of uncle. Aunt Jennifer is terrified of endless
household chores and Uncle. She thinks that even after
her death she will not be free from these household
chores.

These tigers represent not only women’s creativity but

also tyranny of men towards women. It will continue
even after the death of Aunt Jennifer. Therefore her
tigers will also keep prancing on the panel.