In the last stanza of Aunt Jennifer's Tiger, why is the word 'Aunt' used when in the whole poem the poet has always used the word 'Aunt Jennifer'? What is the significance of the word 'aunt'??
Dear Student,
The first two stanzas of the poem see the protagonist being addressed as Aunt Jennifer, displaying the uniqueness of her character and the individuality she possesses, in spite of her kith and kin relations. It stresses on the fact that even when a person is tied down by relationships, she has her own identity as an individual to make decisions, be independent and indulge in things she likes to do, just like Aunt Jennifer was weaving across the screen mighty tigers to express herself.
But the last stanza talks about the pain that had been inflicted upon Aunt Jennifer throughout her marital life, the bitter memories she had and ordeals she had faced as a wife and thus an Aunt. Upon the death of Aunt, her fingers would still lay terrified, suggesting her never ending misery when she was alive. Also the tigers that she made, as an expression of the oppression she had to face, will stay glorious when she ceases to exist as an Aunt.
Regards
The first two stanzas of the poem see the protagonist being addressed as Aunt Jennifer, displaying the uniqueness of her character and the individuality she possesses, in spite of her kith and kin relations. It stresses on the fact that even when a person is tied down by relationships, she has her own identity as an individual to make decisions, be independent and indulge in things she likes to do, just like Aunt Jennifer was weaving across the screen mighty tigers to express herself.
But the last stanza talks about the pain that had been inflicted upon Aunt Jennifer throughout her marital life, the bitter memories she had and ordeals she had faced as a wife and thus an Aunt. Upon the death of Aunt, her fingers would still lay terrified, suggesting her never ending misery when she was alive. Also the tigers that she made, as an expression of the oppression she had to face, will stay glorious when she ceases to exist as an Aunt.
Regards