Written in 1951 by Adrienne Rich, "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" paints a decidedly dark portrait of a married woman's life in the domestic sphere. Patriarchal society, oppression and female helplessness are all delicately chided in this powerful poem. By examining the way Rich uses metaphor to further her purpose, we will unearth the deeper and multi-layered implications of this well known piece.
             In the first stanza, we are introduced to the sympathetic protagonist of the poem, Aunt Jennifer. Instead of describing her, however, Rich chooses to establish Aunt Jennifer's ownership of Tigers and continues to describe them. The tigers are vivacious and vividly portrayed. The tigers are colorfully described as "bright" and seeming full of energy; they happily "prance across a screen." Completely free and fearless of the men below them, the tigers "pace in sleek chivalric certainty." As the poem unravels, we realize these tigers serve as a sharp contrast to the psyche of Aunt Jennifer.
             Where the first stanza serves as a medium to explain what the tigers represent, the second stanza tells us who Aunt Jennifer is, and what she represents. Aunt Jennifer is described as conducting needle work with a piece of wool. However, under the oppressive world that she lives in, even this relatively symbol embroidery seems somewhat of a daunting task, for "even the ivory needle is hard to pull." We then realize that this menial, domestic task is made difficult by the "massive weight" of the wedding ring that Aunt Jennifer is wearing. By her somber description of Aunt Jennifer's stitch work, we realize that she is a mere cog in an oppressive machine. Sedentary and listless, Aunt Jennifer represents an oppressed housewife lacking the ability to stand up for herself. Here, we begin to really appreciate the juxtaposition between Aunt Jennifer and her tigers. Aunt Jennifer and her tigers are in fact polar oppos...