Revision:A Form Of Evolution

The first poem I want to look at by Rich is “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” (1951). According to Rich, this is a poem where she intentionally uses language and a formal style to detach herself. Rich says that she distances herself by using a fictious character of another generation. She wrote in the conventional way of that time because she feared the response of the males in and outside her life; at the same time she speaks of Aunt Jennifer as a woman who conforms to society and thus to a man. “...I’m startled because beneath the conscious craft are glimpses of the split I even then experienced between the girl who wrote poems, who defined herself in writing poems, and the girl who was to define

The second poem, “Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law” (1958-1960), shows a transition in Rich’s life. According to Rich, her writing became less universal and feminine (p. 611). Although, Rich says she still distances herself from her work by using “she” instead of “I” (p. 611-612). In this poem, the “split” that Rich refers to in this essay is evident. The woman in the poem thinks that she is going crazy. She resists the urge to rebel by physically punishing herself. I interpret this as the woman being numb, she has endured enough pain that she is used to it. “ … since nothing hurts her anymore, except/ each morning’s grit blowing into her eyes” (2.11-12). Every morning Rich awoke to her unfulfilled dreams; she experienced the days as a dead woman.

Something else to consider is when this poem was written. During this time America was beginning to rebel against the norms of society. In what Paulo Freire would call a transformation through critical thought, the country began to question what culture dictated. Rich’s change in writing style reflects this conflict.

into images for the relief of the body

“We need to know the writing of the past, and know it differently than we have ever known it; not to pass on tradition but to break its hold over us” (p. 605).

Some topics in this essay:
According Rich, Adrienne Rich, Paulo Freire’s, Jennifer’s Tigers”, Aunt Jennifer, Paulo Freire, Adrienne Rich’s, poem written, , according rich, education culture, rich distances using, “aunt jennifer’s, poem rich, jennifer’s tigers”, “snapshots daughter-in-law”, writing rich, rich poem, “aunt jennifer’s tigers”, distances using,