Women have come a long way since they were only allowed to speak when spoken to and had virtually no rights. Today, women are CEOs of companies and have the same rights as their male counterparts. Unfortunately, in "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" and "Barbie Doll" there are two women who do not have the freedom and power that many other women have today. Looking at the poems from a general perspective, Aunt Jennifer and the “Little Girl” (1), as she is called, share similarities. Both women are unhappy and living under someone else's domination. Looking closer, the poems have different unique qualities such as varied tones and many symbols that give them more life. The general consensus of each poem is that women do not have as much control over their lives as one might think. Both Aunt Jennifer and the young girl do not have control of their own lives. Aunt Jennifer lives under the constraints of her husband, and the main character of "Barbie Doll" lives under the constraints of society's expectations. The reader can first see this as Aunt Jennifer does her needlework: "The enormous weight of Uncle's wedding ring / Rests heavily on Aunt Jennifer's hand" (7-8). The reader can infer that Aunt Jennifer is being held back by her husband in some way. The reader knows that the “little girl” (1) in “Barbie Doll” is helpless because society completely dismisses her appearance, making her feel inferior. The tigers that Aunt Jennifer creates are described as "proud and fearless" (12), which is the exact opposite of Aunt Jennifer. This woman is clearly unhappy and lives vicariously through her creations. She may not feel empowered to change anything in her life to make it more pleasant...... middle of paper ...... a happy woman whose life is not fulfilling; this alone gives each of the poems a dark tone. In “Barbie Doll,” the reader can see that society's unrealistic expectations of girls and women contribute to their subordination, as many of them cannot live up to these standards. Just like in “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,” her husband caused Aunt Jennifer’s subordination because he was holding her back. These poems were not made to pity women; they were made to empower them. From “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” and “Barbie Doll,” women should take away the message that life doesn’t have to be this way. What one does with her life is up to her, not her husband or her classmates. The more we as a society talk about the unfair treatment of women, the more of a problem it becomes. This does not mean that this issue should be ignored, but that no gender should be victimized...