...and Contrast of “Girl” and “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” Over a lifetime a person is forced to make many decisions. The way a person lives their life is that individual’s decision. Often times, one choice is better than another, yet society doesn’t always support what is best. In the poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich, and the short story "Girl" written by Jamaica Kincaid, illustrates the ways women reacts to a society dominated by men, and how their lives are molded by different decisions they make. A woman can simply ignore the restraints they face and suffer the consequences, or she can take a stand, challenge her authority, and enjoy the life she deserves. In Adrienne Rich’s poem, "Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger,” one could assume that the poem is about a woman, who is saddened by her husband’s death. So, the woman knits a magnificent panel that has tigers on it to remind her of her husband because she misses him. But actually, Aunt Jennifer is creating this panel because she desires to be brave, just like a tiger surviving in the wild. Tigers have energy. They are fearless creatures that are free to roam and do not fear men. Aunt Jennifer’s is a woman whose soul burns with creative fire and passion; but she has been defined by the rules of others for some time that she is unable to express herself. Her role in society is decided by a patriarchy; which means society is male dominated and women should occupy the margins (Webster). Aunt Jennifer feels like she is unable to...
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...‘the desire to be heard, - that is the impulse behind writing poems, for me’ (Adrienne Rich) Does the poetry of Adrienne Rich speak to you? Write your personal response, referring to the poems of Adrienne Rich that do/ do not speak to you. The poetry of Adrienne does speak to me, as it makes me aware of the hardship that women have faced in the past which, while focused on by many in the past, is something I have not thought much about. However Rich’s poetry shows me that this is an issue which deserves some attention, as it effectively presents the undue and unfair struggle and hardship that the female sex experienced and still experience. This is achieved with several features of her poetry, such as her variety of register, variety of theme, the seriousness of her poetry and imagery. The poems I shall use to show how Rich’s poetry speaks to me in aforementioned manner are LIVING IN SIN, DIVING INTO THE WRECK, AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS, THE UNCLE SPEAKS IN THE DRAWING ROOM, THE ROOFWALKER and OUR WHOLE LIFE. As I read through her poetry I noticed Rich’s poetry features unusual images which seems not to serve a purpose, but which are heavily focused on, such as a coffee-pot boiling over, or several tigers prancing. These images served two purposes: they caught my eye due to their apparent irrelevance, and then easily presented their messages to me, as they display various instances in which the females are dominated by males, cruelly and unfairly. In LIVING IN SIN Rich shows...
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