📝Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Adrienne Rich
đź“Ś Poet Bio:
Adrienne Rich (1929–2012) was an American poet and feminist thinker who wrote extensively on gender, power, and liberation. Her poetry often exposes the hidden struggles of women in patriarchal systems.
đź“Ś Summary:
The speaker describes Aunt Jennifer’s embroidered tigers, which are bold, fearless, and free—unlike Aunt Jennifer herself, who is burdened by the “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band.” The tigers represent the power and freedom Aunt Jennifer could not live but could imagine in her art.
Even after death, Aunt Jennifer’s fingers will remain “terrified,” but her tigers will go on “proud and unafraid.” Rich contrasts artistic expression with lived oppression, showing how creativity becomes a quiet rebellion for women trapped in traditional roles.
đź“Ś Themes: Feminism, repression vs freedom, art as expression, legacy
đź“Ś Style: Symbolism, structured rhyme, juxtaposition, imagery