Question

Discuss how Rich makes effective use of a variety of characters, often in dramatic settings, to probe both personal issues and wider social concerns in her poems. Develop your response with reference to the poetry by Adrienne Rich on your course

Plan

Par 1

Interpret question, use question to start answer poems studied (at the time of doing this question)

• Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
• The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room
• Our Whole Life

  Par 2

  Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers characters that are present in the poem are Aunt Jennifer, her husband, the tigers, the speaker. Each character represents Aunt Jennifer represents the poet and her struggle to accept her position in society. She also symbolises the female population.

The uncle represents the male patriarchal society.

The tigers symbolise the freedom that Aunt Jennifer and the poet long for.