The poem “Aunt Jennifer's Tigers” by Adrienne Rich is about a married woman who is represented through her creations. She knits tigers to show the type of person she truly aspires to be; vigorous, free and valiant - all characteristics that women are not allowed to have. Aunt Jennifer knows that even after she passes, her art will live on and show who she always was, creating a theme of immortality throughout the poem. “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” is composed of three stanzas of four lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is: AABB CCDD EEFF. For example, the third stanza: When aunt is dead, her terrified hands will remain (E)Always surrounded by trials by which she was mastered. (E) The tigers in the panel she made (F) Will continue to prance, proud and unafraid. (9-12) (F)Rich uses a continuous rhyme pattern at the end of each line which can be seen in the stanza referenced above. The words “lie,” “by,” “made,” and “fearless” channel the rhythm throughout the duration of the stanza; this technique used by Rich is known as end rhyme. Furthermore, it can be seen in ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯¯the poem that it is written in iambic pentameter as in line ten. “The tigers in the panel she made” All these techniques mentioned constitute the technical aspects of the poem. The first two lines of the poem read: “Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen/Brilliant topazes inhabitants of a world of green.” (1-2) By using the word "prancing" in the first line, Rich makes it seem like tigers are not particularly dangerous instead...... middle of paper ...... and the same , carefree and fearless. Although the stanza started abruptly, it ended gently with the way the tigers in the panel are described. It is clear that Aunt Jennifer was not the type of woman who said what she thought and did what she wanted; she was constrained not only by her marriage but also by society and its views on the role of women. Aunt Jennifer aspired to be a strong, independent woman who did not fear men, just like her tigers. Because she could never be the strong woman she wanted to be in her life, she decided to create a path that would be eternal, hence the fearless tigers. No one would then be able to destroy her courageous soul, not even her husband. Works Cited Rich, Adrienne. “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers.” Literature: read, react, write. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 7th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. 853-854.