Adriene Rich's Evolution
Adrienne Rich views herself as a woman above all else, but she was not always of that mind. As she first entered into the literary world as a poet she prized her status as a writer above her position as a woman. Rich's beliefs evolved over time as she realized a re-vision of her life and of her role in society. One need only analyze the progression of her poetry over the course of her career to see that her style and views changed significantly.The first poem we will evaluate is Aunt Jennifer's Tigers, written in 1951. In this poem Rich describes a woman sewing even as "the massive weight of Uncle's wedding band" (Rich, pg. 633) makes it difficult to continue the chore. She describes a woman who is doing exactly what the society of the time would deem appropriate. Rich also depicts the woman as terrified, living in fear of what might transpire if she were to not live up to the "proper" image of a female. Even amongst all this, however, we begin to realize Rich's true nature as she describes Aunt Jennifer's creation lasting through all time, even after she is dead. Still, she is a poet first and foremost in her own mind, as she he
Rich is beginning to leave the role of what she should be in order to embrace what she yearns to be. She soon goes on to get married and have children, and in a short time realizes that marriage and motherhood are not institutions in which she believes. rself admits to being "the girl who wrote poems, who defined herself in writing poems" (pg. She uses her poetry to speak her mind, but also as a voice for "the women who are not with us here because they are washing the dishes and looking after the children. 639) yet still standing in defiance of oppression. Rich tries to spread the message that, "the victimization and the anger experienced by women are real, and have real sources, everywhere in the environment, built into society" (pg. It tells the story of a housewife imprisoned by her world even as everything surrounding her is crying out to her to live passionately, without borders, and as she really desires. Rich begins to feel trapped, and longs to find a balance between being what would be considered a proper woman and being a true woman who stands for what she believes and desires. Rich's own re-vision of her place in life took her from student to wife, to mother, to feminist heroine. "(Her) anger and frustration were hard to acknowledge in or out of poems because (she) cared a great deal about (her) husband and (her) children" (pg. In Planetarium Rich describes women suffering for their attempts to break down these boundaries.
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Acceptance Essays
