My Project Paper Outline

I gave this outline to my supervisor as the first step to write my project paper. I only use two texts instead of three in this research paper.

TEXTS: 1) AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS by ADRIENNE RICH
2) HER KIND by ANNE SEXTON

TOPIC: Violence of Survival in Patriarchal Society Resulted Women to Play The Role of a Martyr.

1.0 Biography of Poets
1.1 Biography of Adrienne Rich
1.2 Biography of Anne Sexton

2.0 Introduction

3.0 Definition of Important Words and Phrases in the Topic
3.1 Definition of ‘Violence of Survival’

- Survive to search for freedom
· Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers; Freedom from fear, oppression, and terror towards her

husband – she expressed her desire for freedom only in her art.
· Freedom to be independent rather than clinging to abusive husband and broken

marriage
· Freedom of desire to seek the same freedom like men do
· Her Kind: Freedom from pressure of isolation and uneasy actions with particular

kind of traditional social expectation to suburban housewife

3.2 Definition of ‘Patriarchal Society’
- World dominated by male figure or a society in which men rule
- Exploration of power inequity – those who do not have power are ignored: they do

not count; they are not even “seen” in the social structure in the sense that no

account is taken of them when decisions are made (which is women)

3.3 Definition of ‘Martyr’
- Sacrificial victim
- Sufferer for a cause
- A person who exaggerates their difficulties in order to gain sympathy (Adapted from

Soanes, Spooner and Hawker (2001) Oxford Paperback Dictionary, Thesaurus, and

Wordpower Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press)

4.0 Similarity on the way poets treat the persona
4.1 Word’s choice
4.1.1 The poets use negative connotation words that signify negative traits of the

personas.

4.2 Language chosen
4.2.1 The poets use oppressor language in their poem

4.3 Personas’ characterization
4.3.1 The poets characterize the personas as vulnerable, dependent, fragile, defenseless

and pathetic
4.3.2 Bourgeois imagery to women

5.0 Similarity on the way persona treats home as entrapment
5.1 Depicted through the way they describe their home and what they had experienced in

the house
5.1.1 The housewife describes her house as warm caves filled with worms and elves in

Her Kind
5.1.2 Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers: Aunt Jennifer is divorced from her social milieu
5.1.3 Aunt Jennifer was imprisoned but is perhaps imprisoned more, or as much, in the

prison of ego-psychology

6.0 Traditionally tied to long tradition of male authority and power

6.1 Women treated as outcast
6.1.1 Imagery of women as witch (represent female alienation from society and

perceived as subhuman) in Her Kind
6.1.2 Women treated as slave by husband in Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

6.2 Personas dilemma in search of identity
6.2.1 Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers: Aunt Jennifer was burdened by the role as wife that she

needs to play because of her wedding band which binds her to her husband. Her

troubled marriage has kept her down
6.2.2 Tiger imagery is clearly masculine figure. Not only masculine, but heroic figure of

one of the most role-bound of all the substructures of patriarchy: chivalry.
6.2.3 Her Kind: Unconventional roles of women from the stereotypical roles society

places on women as contrast to the traditional role of women in society
6.2.4 Presents a search for self and meaning beyond the limits of conventional

expression and form

7.0 Implications Towards Education
7.1 Students will learn lessons of responsibility (including responsibility in family)
7.2 Aware that words and language can provoke and influence them to indulge in wrong

doings
7.3 Students can be taught to have love and respect towards opposite gender

8.0 Conclusion
8.1 Both poems play an important role in educating students in terms of responsibility,

respect, good judgments and as well as teaches students not to discriminate others.

9.0 References
9.1 Books
9.2 Internet