poetry texts, poem archive at plagiarist.com

this poem leads the reader to believe that aunt Jennifer is hiding behind the screen, (mask) that she has created. By hiding her true emotions and feelings, she can portray herself like the tigers, proud and confident as they are woven on the front of the screen.

Rich makes us believe that Aunt Jennifer has reason to fear men. She says "They do not fear the men beneath the tree;" refering to the tigers, her mask as Jim Bob has pointed out. And Uncle's wedding band is weighing her hand down. There is clearly something going on. I think that with the combination of the tigers as a mask and the fact that tigers help her become strong when men are around hints at abuse of some sort.

I think Aunt Jennifer was in real life, suffering abuse from her husband, and her weaving the tigers (symbol of chivalry and boldness), presents a subtle yearning inside her to overpower man. Since she cannot overcome the abuse of her husband, she translates her pain, suffering into a covert form of expression-weaving to show that she is able to win over man in some ways, and not be afraid of them no more. It also suggests permanency, and I feel sympathetic and indignant for Aunt Jenny's situation.

Aunt Jennifer's Tigers is a poem that points to women's role in the fabric of a patriacharal society. A submissive role that can sometimes lead to abuse in marriage. The fact that Uncle's band is heavy on Aunt Jennifer's hand is suggestive of an oppresive marriage that Aunt Jennifer has endured. Her tiger patchwork is representive of the aggression she has been submitted to but can control through creating happy tigers, prancing.