Aunt Jennifer's Tigers by Adrienne Rich
Who is Aunt Jennifer? Does she even exist? I had to ask myself these questions before even going further into the poem. The answers opened the door to a deeper meaning behind Aunt Jennifer's Tigers. Based on Adrienne Rich's background I believe Aunt Jennifer did exist. However, Aunt Jennifer was not Rich's aunt. Aunt Jennifer represented women all over the world, particularly women in American, who were caught under the oppressive hand of a patriarchal society. Adrienne Rich was perhaps one of those women. Rich, one of the most influential poets of her time, dealt with controversial issues such as sexuality, race, language, power, and women's culture. Her passion in this area forced her to look
…show more content…
That ownership is not clearly defined, however, until the second stanza of the poem when it is revealed why they are hers to own. From the first few lines we know some key facts about the tigers that Jennifer owns. Her tigers have energy. They are free to "prance" and run across the screen. The environment that the tigers enjoy is explained in detail in the line following. The tigers are bright like "topaz" and they inhabit a world that is green.
As Rich continues she begins to go deeper into the real meaning behind the creation of Aunt Jennifer's tigers. Aunt Jennifer's tigers do not fear men. They conduct themselves in a heroic, manly fashion as line 4 explains. The tigers that Aunt Jennifer's owns are confident and certain of who they are and what they want.
Only after understanding the tigers can you actually begin to understand Aunt Jennifer and again her ownership of them. The first stanza serves to explain what the tigers represent, while the second stanza explains who Aunt Jennifer is. Aunt Jennifer is described to be working with a piece of wool. She is obviously doing needlepoint to a panel that will be placed in a pillow, quilt, or screen of some kind for the home. Her fingers are fluttering to create the beautiful image of the tigers. Aunt Jennifer is expressing herself through the creation of her tigers. However, creating those tigers and expressing those feelings are hard to get out. The reason why is revealed in the next line.
Those feelings are
Estimators report there are more tigers living in private captivity in the United States, than there are roaming around the world. In the film, The Tiger Next Door, longtime animal lover Dennis Hill is faced with getting rid of most, if not all of his animals. Before Dennis Hill owned exotic animals, he was a very wealthy construction worker until he let the rich lifestyle get the best of him, and lost most of his money through drugs, reckless motorcycle driving, and a rough divorce. After Hill was sentenced to six month house arrest, he found his true passion to be owning and breeding tigers. The major controversy the film discussed was that tigers are exotic and unpredictable animals, and even the most skilled tiger handler cannot fully predict what they will do. This causes neighbors and wildlife conservationists to be skeptical and uneasy when they find out that someone in the community owns and breeds tigers and other exotic animals.
What were the most critical choices faced by James Milmo early in the founding of
These expectations increased when she was in the presence of “great power, [her] mother talking story” (20). In one particular situation, the narrator recalls her mother singing about Fa Mu Lan, the woman warrior. Although her mother expected her daughter to become a wife or a slave, the narrator had a different idea; she would “grow up a woman warrior” (20). As a young girl, she said that she “couldn’t tell where the stories left off and the dreams began” (19). This is the case in “White Tigers.” The narrator’s dream-state takes readers into the mind of a girl who attempts to please her mother and entire family by becoming a woman warrior. This is possibly an attempt to subside much of the harsh ridicule she receives from her mother due to cultural differences. Although this is a key factor in her early childhood, she learns to block out these criticisms as she grows older.
“In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson Mcandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.” Into The Wild is a book about a young man who travels across some of the most unforgiving terrain to find his place in life. He travels through the tough Alaskan landscape running from Christopher Johnson Mcandless, and embracing the new life that is slowly coming to him. As Chris runs away from his family, and travels along vast areas of terrain, he makes a
Picture books can have a very important role in a classroom, from elementary school through middle and even high school. They offer a valuable literary experience by combining the visual and the text. Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott Award winning book, Where the Wild Things Are, is a wonderful blend of detailed illustrations and text in which a young boy, Max, lets his angry emotions create a fantasy world.
Where the Wild Things Are, a children’s book written by Maurice Sendak, is not only directed to young children, but has an underlying message that is intended for older generations to receive. This message, only used to enhance the meaning of the story, describes the addiction for one to have power and be in control. As the story goes on, the realization sets in that maybe the desire for power is not the best, at all times. The use of oppression becomes evident in this story, through Max, the main character, as he strives to control everything around him. Maurice Sendak uses repetition and parallelism in the imagery and text of Where the Wild Things Are to show Max’s progression to assume power and eventually discard it.
“The Lady, or The Tiger” by Mr. Frank R. Stockton has compelled readers for as long as time. This story ends with all wondering, so which is it, the delicate and fair young lady or the savage, fierce, wild-eyed tiger standing behind the door. This makes us ponder whether human heart chooses love or jealously. Within this essay, there will be proof that it is the stunning young woman behind the door. Although there is evidence proving that it is the tiger, in a sense there is more evidence stating that the elegant and barbaric princess allowed her real lover to continue living. To begin let us start with the small dwindling points that the tiger, lye behind the door.
Rosemary Dobson’s The Tiger delicately examines the notion of discovery as a medium of freedom, relating back to her own mental captivity similar to a tiger in a cage. The extended metaphor allows careful analysis of the sub-lying plot describing a poet's sense of discovery through their imagination. Through Dobson’s use of emotive language in “smouldering with rage,” the audience can better understand the poet’s deeply felt emotion, being unable to write to her heart’s content. “Behind the black-barred page” further accentuates, assisted by the alliteration, the statement's metaphoric value of remaining captive under frustration and oppression, destroying any belief or hope of achieving freedom to discover. Additionally, the hyperbole in the celestial frame of “He rakes the sky and stars...and is not done,” emphasises the search and will to discover, explaining that Dobson will do anything for her freedom, in order to achieve self gratification. The extended metaphor is resolved in the final
one of my reasons why I think the lady choose the tiger is because even though she loves this man she can't seem to see him with another women, That would just be to much for her in my point of view and I don't think he could even love another woman when he's love of his life is the kings daughter
The poem begins with Aurora Leigh's observations of her aunt. "Her somewhat narrow forehead braided tight/ As if for taming
The main themes of this book is not to far from the reality of every persons life. Not everyone has to live in a tyranny and fight for freedom to live but the fact is you still need to fight for something. Life is filled with struggles and that goes to different extents for different people. For the sisters in, In The Time of The Butterflies they had to go through an extreme part of their lives together and ended up not coming out the same. They were dependent on each other yet they were independent at the same time. The main theme I picked up from this book was the faith they had. The faith they had with each other, the faith they had to survive but most importantly the faith they had for themselves. They had faith as independent woman
“Aunt Ida Pieces a Quilt” is a poem about an elderly woman who is stitching a quilt in memory of her great nephew, Junie, who has died of AIDS. It is a remarkable poem about a close knit family who comes together to help each other during hardship. Like “An Indian Story” this poem speaks of long family traditions and illustrates the importance of family. “My mama and my mama’s mama taught me”, says Aunt Ida (49). The two writings are also similar, in that, the main maternal figure also makes sacrifices for her family. This is illustrated when Aunt Ida helps sew a quilt for her family even though, as she describes, “My eyes ain’t good now and my fingers lock in a fist, they so eaten up with arthritis” (49).It is evident throughout the text that this family spends a great deal of time together and have a very strong bond.
Adrienne Rich, poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” can be read similar to Alice Walker 's short story "Everyday Use” both are compared by the women’s ways of showing their strengths and how they identify their values, expressions and strength. Advertised in the general outlines of the plot, both literary themes talks of a quest for freedom, the characters identity and self-expression.
Standing in the center of a larger arena was a young youth whose faith was in the balances. Spectators raise steely on all sides directly in front of him awaiting his death. In front of him was two massive doors behind one were life and bliss, behind another lies a man-eating beast.
Being a mother is to support your children all the way even if they choose to take the road you don’t want them too. Mother’s play a responsible role in children’s health, education and complete wellbeing. In the article, Mother Inferior? Hanna Rosin, the author talks about her mothering style, which is the complete opposite of Amy Chua from The Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mother. Hanna Rosin would allow everything that Amy Chua wouldn’t allow for her children. Her idea of raising children were different, she wanted her child to be happy in fact she never pressured her child into doing anything. Hanna Rosin had some good points; however, some of her points I cannot agree with her. I agree with Hanna Rosin when she said