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AUNT JENNIFER TIGER

1. AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS

3. Adrienne Rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland,
USA. Her claim to fame were her feminist ideas and
her wide involvement in contemporary women’s
movement as a poet and theorist.
She received a number of awards including 1996
Tanning Award for Mastery in the Art of Poetry, the
Lennon foundation’s 1999 Lifetime Achievement
Award, The Commonwealth Award in Literature and
National Book Award.

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. Written at a time
when divorce was unacceptable, the poem criticizes the
traditional institution of marriage, suggesting that it
oppresses women.`

(May 16, 1929 -
March 27, 2012)

KNOW THE POET

4. WHAT DOES THE TITLE OF
THE POEM SUGGEST TO YOU?
●Tigers in general
●Real or imaginary tigers
●Aunt Jennifer’s creations on a
panel.

5. STANZA 1
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.


▪Poet is describing a woman whom she addresses as Aunt Jennifer
● She creates a needle point 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
●These men could refer to hunters in a forest, out to kill the tigers.
●The tigers look elegant, shining and full of the gentleman’s grace.

6. STANZA 2
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.

▪. The second stanza introduces us to Aunt Jennifer with her “fingers
fluttering” through the wool.
. Aunt Jennifer's fingers swiftly and delicately work the yarn .
. She finds it physically difficult to pull even a small needle made of ivory
through the canvas.
. Ivory is a luxury material from the tusks of elephants. 
. Her fingers flutter, as if she's nervous or a little feeble in the process of
self expression.
. This is because her husband's wedding band feels huge, and weighs
down heavily on her hand,
perhaps as a result of the emotional baggage associated with it through
her marriage.

7. STANZA 3
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

▪The third stanza is a ghastly one and presents the reader with the
sight of Aunt Jennifer’s lifeless body.
▪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.
▪However, the tigers she created will continue to leap across her
needlepoint without shame or fear.
▪ Aunt’s death will not affect the tigers.

10. SYMBOLS USED IN THE POEM
▪Aunt Jennifer- represents women all over the world wedged under the tyrannical
hand of the patriarchal society.
▪Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers have been used as a symbol of the terror and oppression
perpetrated on women like Aunt Jennifer by the male world
▪Tigers also symbolize her dreams and desires of being powerful, fearless, decisive
and liberated
▪Uncle denotes the oppressor
▪The wedding band signifies the patriarchal society where command is defined as
masculine
▪Fluttering fingers -are signs of anxiety, nervousness and weakness. Aunt
Jennifer is so victimized and oppressed that her frail fingers are not able to
carry the weight of something as light as wool
▪Aunt Jennifer’s hands represent reality of her life
▪‘Ringed with ordeals’ expresses the struggle of the spirit, injustice and
oppression that Aunt Jennifer suffers but never expresses

11. IRONY

▪Weak and submissive woman weaving a picture of tigers which
are strong and fearless
▪Brutal tigers are depicted as chivalric
▪Even when creator dies, her art( tigers) will continue to exist

Use of Contrast

●Aunt Jennifer is an oppressed woman, dominated by male
superiority, victimized, fearful, indecisive, weak, timid, feeble,
shivering in her fear, stifled and weighed upon by the marriage
whereas the Tigers she weaves are chivalric, confident, fearless,
assertive, strong and energetic

12. What kind of poem is it?
●Metaphorical?
●Why ?


GIST
▣Aunt Jennifer wants to possess the qualities of a tiger
because in real life she is very meek and timid and
dominated by her husband.
▣So she embroiders tigers on a panel – She weaves her
dreams
▣She is so terrified that she will not be able get over her
fears even after her death.

13. comprehension
check

14. QUALITIES YOU ASSOCIATE WITH
TIGERS WRITE TRUE OR FALSE.
●BRAVE
●ARROGANT
●TIMID
●HUMBLE
●FEROCIOUS
●SHY
●CHIVALROUS
●PROUD
●ELEGANT

15. ASSESSMENT

Q1. Simple MCQ
Who are the denizens of a world of green?
(a) uncle
(b) aunt
(c) tigers
(d) men

Q2. Complex MCQ
What does ‘wedding band’ imply in the poem?
(a) oppression
(b) class inequality
(c) fear
(d) marital bliss

·

16. Q3. Short Answer Question
Why does Aunt Jennifer draw tigers on the panel?
Q4. Closed Constructed Response Question
Explain: the theme of the poem.
Q5. Open Constructed Response Question (HOTS)
India believes in the sanctity and longevity of marriage but a sizeable number
of marriages are unhappy in this country. Yes/no substantiate your reply.

HOME ASSIGNMENT
Short Answer Questions:
1. Which qualities of tigers are depicted in the poem? Mention any
four.
2. What kind of married life did Aunt Jennifer lead?

17. Home work
●Answer the following questions.
●For Slow bloomers
●Q1 What is Aunt making and on what?
●For Average bloomers
●Q2 Are the tigers afraid? How do you know?
●For Bright
●Q3 How do you contrast the tigers with Aunt Jennifer?

18. THANKS