Aunt Jennifers Tigers 2016

You may use bullet statements OR write in sentences for the evidence. Only the final is
required to utilize MLA format and standard conventions of English.
1. What are some of the distinguishing characteristics of Aunt Jennifer? What
lines/phrases create these impressions? IS she old? Dead? Or not?
Interpreting Aunt Jennifer literally, the poem doesnt offer much information about this woman. In
the second stanza, the poet mentions important details relating to her age group. She has
difficulty sowing with a needle, and she has a wedding ring on her hand which means she could
be any age between a middle aged adult to an elderly woman. In the last stanza, the poem
transitions to the event of Aunts death. The poem explains that her terrified hands are ringed
by ordeals she was mastered by which might be related to her experience in sowing or some
other horrible events in the past.
2. Cite details about the tapestry/needlepoint shes working on:
It appears that she is creating a tapestry of tigers. The tigers are described as orange/topaz
dwellers in a green world. Aunt made the creatures in a prancing position with a look of
determination and courage. They are unafraid of the men or hunters that are after them.
3. What do we understand about Uncle?
We know that Aunt is married to Uncle but we dont know much about him from a literary
standpoint. We dont know if the marriage Aunt shared with Uncle was a good or happy one.
The poet mentions that the wedding ring Aunt wore felt like a massive burden. Theres also the
detail about Aunts terrified hands which might have experience tragic moments in her life.
Perhaps there was domestic abuse/violence.
4. On the metaphorical level, what is the story of the poem? Cite specifics that lead
you to this impression
Metaphorically, it seems that the poem is really about a married woman possible living with a
horrible husband, sowing a tapestry of tigers. We can tell the marriage isnt going well or that it
was never intended to be because the poet includes certain phrases such as terrified and
ringed with ordeals. The tigers she makes are symbols of her inner self. The colorful tigers
have a look of bravery and ferocity. They are pridefully prancing around while hunters are about.

Aunt Jennifer might have created this tapestry to express her hidden feelings about the life she
lives now.

5. Finally, on the universal or profound level, what is the poem attempting to say to
the reader?
Thinking on a profound level, the true message of the poem might be about what Aunts
niece/nephew is experiencing in the house. Everything about Aunt and Uncle would still be true
but instead of Aunt Jennifer sowing a tapestry, she is raising a child. Aunt works very hard to
raise the child to become someone brave and strong of the world in front of them. When Aunt
dies, her child will continue to live proud and unafraid.
Following our class discussion write a short or two at most (This is where you write in format
and cite):
What is the poems theme and message?
The main theme of the poem is strength and courage. In the beginning, Aunt Jennifer is
creating a tapestry of bright tigers in a colorful world. She gives them the characteristics of
courage and strength since they do not fear the men beneath the tree, and pace in sleek
chivalric certainty. Moving on to the second stanza, the poem talks about Aunt Jennifers life
and domestic hardships implied through word choice. The poet mentions that it is difficult for
Aunt to pull the needle as well as stating that her husbands wedding ring is a heavy burden. We
can tell that this marriage is not going so well and that her mental and physical health may be
waning. Finally, the poem ends with the eventual death of Aunt. An important detail mentioned is
that her terrified hands will still be ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. This implies that
the hardships she endured was mastered by in her life. The tapestry Aunt made in the beginning
will continue on proud and brave. Symbolically, the tigers are what she feels on the inside. Just
like how artists express themselves in their art, Aunt expresses her strength and courage
through her creation of the tigers. The horrible husband she lived with and the ordeals she had
to endure made her a stronger woman mentally.