“Nikki-Rosa” Poem Analysis In the poem “Nikki- Rosa,” Nikki Giovanni writes with diction and imagery to prove that’s she had a happy childhood in spite of her family’s hardships. Giovanni creates a poem, that although short in words, provides a lasting effect on the reader. Giovanni’s creative use of language and descriptive words, the distinction of black culture from white culture, and memories of average times that made her childhood unique and happy made this poem distinct and exceptional. Giovanni frequently references to her happy childhood in her poem using words and phrases that create an image in your mind showing you that her childhood was in fact a happy one. “You and your sister have happy birthdays and very good Christmases” (Lines 20), illustrates that not only was her childhood was happy but the simple …show more content…
“Because they never understand Black love is Black wealth” (Line 22), proving that although people judge about the welfare of black people, all that is needed is love and that is enough. She then ends the poem with “ I really hope no white person ever has the cause to write about me” (Line 21), which in her mind she thought you wouldn’t understand the culture and how you could be happy in that environment if you weren’t there. People usually imagine black families impoverished, upset, or angry, but with this poem she explains that she had a family that was nothing like that and her family’s love made her childhood great. Nikki Giovanni said a lot more than she wrote in this poem, by showing the flip side to what everybody thinks is a horrible lifestyle to live in. She explains that her parents had love for her, even though they had their own problems. Giovanni paints a picture in your mind of her childhood with this poem, thus proving that she had a happy
Nikki Giovanni theme is expressed by her activist as a feminist defined as the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men cultural roots being the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. Furthermore, Nikki Giovanni’s pride in the achievement of her own accomplishments. In fact, Nikki Giovanni focus on the embracement of the African-American Society. In the poem Ego-Tripping the Giovanni uses pride to analyze the growth of the African-American feminist, culture, and embracement of the African American
Nikky Finney's book Head Off and Split is a work of art in every sense. It combines both historical elements and personal elements. She shines the light on our countries habit of oppressing and enslaving African Americans. She masterfully weaves together the history of the time and her own memories in an unabashed way that lays bare the wrongdoings of our country. Forcing the reader to see part of our history that is often glossed and skimmed over in conventional textbooks.
Julia Alvarez, in her poem “’Poetry Makes Nothing Happen’?”, writes that poems do play a role in people’s lives. She supports her idea by using relateable examples of how poems might change someone’s life. Her first example is simple, poetry can entertain someone on long drives. This does not only aply to long dirves however, Alvarez uses this to show that poetry does not have to have a big influence on someone’s life, instead it can affect a person in the smallest of ways, such as entertainment. The second example describes poetry comforting someone after the loss of a loved one.
Nikki Giovanni had an interview with Scholastic in 2002. In her interview with Scholastic, she talked about what inspires her to write. For Giovanni,
There are major milestones that all people endure, such as the birth of a child, starting a career, or the death of a loved one. All of these milestones, no matter how insignificant they may seem to some, undoubtedly have a profound effect on the recipient. Truthfully, no one can successfully progress through life without enduring hardships or unfortunate circumstances. The success of the people who undergo serious life changes is dependent upon how well they choose to handle their happenings.
The poem Truth, by Gwendolyn Brooks, has a lot of symbolism in it. Different things throughout the poem both represent parts of the Civil Rights movement as well as things that we can relate to our lives today. She did really well with her literary elements used, especially personification. This makes her writing more relatable and realistic in our minds to grasp. Truth is a wonderful poem full of all sorts of different literary elements.
The final poem of significance is Jazzonia, in which Hughes experiments with literary form to transform the act of listening to jazz into an ahistorical and biblical act. Neglecting form, it is easy to interpret the poem shallowly as a simple depiction of a night-out in a cabaret with jazz whipping people into a jovial frenzy of singing and dancing. But, the poem possesses more depth, when you immerse yourself in the literary form. The first aspect of form to interrogate is the couplet Hughes thrice repeats: “Oh, silver tree!/Oh, shining rivers of the soul!” Here, we see the first transformation.
This was an unexpected turn, as he passed away on June 8,1982, the day after his 39th birthday. This was the very same year that Giovanni decided to write this poem. She used this poem as a window to reach her readers, while letting out her deepest emotions through poetry to mourn the lost of her father. This is a double-sided piece of poetry that deals with decisions; implying that there are two conflicting sides of the story.
In order to change history, people must learn from their mistakes. Segregation in North America has been a big issue in North America that unfortunately still happens in the world today, however, it is not as bad as it once was. In the poem “History Lesson” by Natasha Trethewey, the author uses mood, symbolism and imagery to describe the racial segregation coloured people faced in the past compared to more recent times, where equality is improved and celebrated. The author uses language and setting to influence the mood and meaning of the poem.
Breaking Social Boundaries The era of the 1920s was a pinnacle time in American History and the literature that was produced from this era showcases the social change happening. This was the time of social upheaval where the people were challenging social boundaries. The values that had been sought after in the period before this were becoming less and else prevalent in the new society. There are many viewpoints of this time period so the literature of this time was very diverse and many works showed the changing cultures.
While reading this poem, you notice that she uses a great deal of not so much information, and more of inspiration from events that occurred long before the author’s actual time on Earth. The ‘main character’ is incredibly egocentric, saying that they are “so perfect/so divine/so ethereal” (Giovanni 47). The literary devices used were allusion and hyperbole. An allusion is an indirect reference to something well-known. Almost the entire poem is an allusion, referencing back to long before the author’s life.
In the poem “Ego-Tripping” by Nikki Giovanni, she normalizes her worth by continuing to royalist herself as a black woman who is essential to mankind. Giovanni creates a vision throughout the poem, which leaves a thought in mind of how woman should look at themselves with much confidence as Giovanni does. “Ego Tripping” was written by Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, Jr. who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943. G9iovanni is a writer, poet, activist, and educator whose work was influenced during the Black Power Movements and the Civil Rights Movement. The poem was released in 2002.
The Life and Works of Nikki Giovanni The ideas and subjects expressed in Nikki Giovanni’s works are a reflection of her life and times. Giovanni, born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1943, is a well-known African-American author who reached her prime in the late 1960´s and the early 1970´s. All of her writings prove her experiences as a child and young woman. ¨frequently anthologized, Giovanni’s poetry expresses strong racial pride and respect for family. Her informal style makes her work accessible to both adults and children¨ (PoetryFoundation 1).
The poem is written is her voice as the narrator as she says how she will rise to the occasion despite oppression and the inherent painful past of the black man. She says that despite oppression and unfair treatment of black people, they will rise above it. The lines opening lines ‘You may tread me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I'll rise’ show the determination of black people during the Civil Rights Movement and the way in which they were determined to rise above racial
This is different from the other poem Women because in the poem by Nikki Giovanni the speaker keeps changing for someone and they constantly reject her. This shows that she does not have the confidence to be who she truly is without their approval. “She wanted to be a blade / of grass amid the fields / but he wouldn 't agree / to be the dandelion,” (Giovanni 1-4). These lines show that they do not want to be amongst