Vikram Singh Nagore 1

About the poetess

Adrienne Rich (1929- 2012) was
an American poetess, essayist and
feminist. She was called ‘one of
the most widely read and
influential poets of the second
half of the 20th century’.
She was credited with bringing the oppression of
women to the forefront of poetic discourse.
‘Diving into the Wreck’ is one of her notable works.
She has received the National Book Award(1974),
Bollingen Prize(2003) and Griffin Poetry Prize(2010).
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 THEME
Told from the perspective of an anonymous
speaker, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ describes
a woman, Aunt Jennifer, who crafts vibrant
tapestry panels depicting tigers to escape
mentally from her unhappy marriage.

Aunt Jennifer represented women all over

the world who were caught under the
oppressive hands of a patriarchal society.
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 SYNOPSIS
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.

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 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.
These men are also depicted
in the image. The tigers walk
with certainty, shining and
courageous.
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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.

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 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.

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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.

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When Aunt Jennifer dies one day, her frightened
hands will still be marked by the difficulties that
ruled over her while she was alive. Meanwhile, the
tigers she created will always portray her desire
for living a fearless life by jumping boldly and
proudly across her needlepoint.
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“Put an end to patriarchy.”
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