Analysis Of The Poem Choices By Nikki Giovanna

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher, and doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University with a concentration in Culture, Institutions, and Society. Smith Clint wrote a poem called “Something You should Know.” The poem is about an early job he had in a Petsmart. The poet allows the readers into his personal life, but before he had trouble opening up to people and his work. Moreover, Clint wrote an insight in the poem about relying in anything to feel safe and he says it is the most terrifying thing any person can do.

Choices by Nikki Giovanni Choices, by Nikki Giovanni, expresses throughout the poem, a feeling of depression from subjugation. Giovanni shows how the character has a choice whether to accept her fate or choose to do something. In her stanzas, she has clearly chosen to accept someone else’s choice for her. While reading this, one must concur that she wants the reader to know, everyone has a choice although she has chosen not to be happy.

A lack of self-awareness tended the narrator’s life to seem frustrating and compelling to the reader. This lack often led him to offer generalizations about ““colored” people” without seeing them as human beings. He would often forget his own “colored” roots when doing so. He vacillated between intelligence and naivete, weak and strong will, identification with other African-Americans and a complete disavowal of them. He had a very difficult time making a decision for his life without hesitating and wondering if it would be the right one.

How many times a day do you make choices? Too many to count some would say, you made a choice just now to think about if you wanted to count how many times you made choices. Sometimes you have a choice and other times you do not. Most times you only get stuck with one choice and you have to deal with it. In addition, it might not be the choice or decision you would have hoped for but you go with it. A choice is making a decision between two or more possibilities. In the poem, Choices by Nikki Giovanni she writes a very short but meaningful poem about decisions and choices that she makes. Giovanni wrote this poem in the year of 1978; the year her father passes away. Throughout the poem Giovanni expresses her need to feel conform

In “Conte” by Marilyn Hacker, Cinderella shows the reader a glimpse of her life after the childhood tale ends, a less happier ending than the original story implies. She feels trapped in a constant state of misery and boredom in the royal palace. Without life experience guiding her, Cinderella is in a dilemma caused by her ignorance of the potential consequences of her actions. With the use of irony, structure, and diction, “Conte” shows how innocence and naïveté result in regrettable mistakes that create life experience.

Initially, Collins demonstrates how one can weigh a dog’s weight with his method. Concrete diction in the first stanza, such as, “ small bathroom”, “ balancing”, and “shaky” suggest the uncomfortable nature of his intimate relationship with his pet. Although Collin is unappreciated for the gritty toil determination, he praise himself to applauded that “this is the way” and raising his self-esteem by comparing how easier it is than to train his dog obesity. In addition, the negative diction used to describe Collin holding his dog to be “awkward” for him and “bewildering” for his pet. This establish he rather force love rather willing show patience. When holding a pet on scale, there is less hustle because he secures the dog’s position by carrying it. Where as when he orders the dog to stay on the weighing scale with a cookie, his dog only followed him because of the expected reward.

Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, “Poema para los Californios Muertos” (“Poem for the Dead Californios”), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the “Californios” through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language.

The most important theme in this book was the trials and tribulations of racism because it was woven in every part of the plot, it contributed to the conflict and resolutions, and gave the story a connection to current events, helping the reader’s comprehension.

The poem “Choices” is a narrative by Yolanda Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, a poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Nikki Giovanni was born on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee though she was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her parents were Jones "Gus" Giovanni and Yolanda Cornelia, Sr. were both educators and they had two daughters, the eldest was Gary Ann and Yolanda Cornelia was the baby. Gary is responsible for the name Nikki because she started calling her that at a very young age. Both of Nikki Giovanni parents and her sister are deceased. Nikki has on son whose name is Thomas and a granddaughter. A 1968 graduate of Fisk University, in Nashville, Tennessee with a Bachelor of the Arts in History and she subsequently went to graduate school at Columbia University in New York and the University of Pennsylvania.

Giovanni brilliantly uses the literary devices of imagery, paralleled repetition and symbolism to depict a vivid journey of transformation, concluding with an exquisite moment of self-realization.

The 1960s was a volatile time with racial tensions coming to a head; however there was a Black Power Movement along with a Black Arts Movement taking place that inspired many black poets, writers, artists, and more to share their message and frustrations through the arts. One of these poets was Nikki Giovanni who was a major force in the Black Arts Movement. Nikki Giovanni’s earlier works mainly dealt with themes of black militancy, revolution and black empowerment. One of her poems that focused on and expressed these themes is MY POEM that talked about how no matter what happens to her or what’s going on the black revolution can not be

Poet and writer Nikki Giovanni was born on June 7, 1943. In Knoxville, Tennessee. She is a prominent poet and writer who established Cincinnati’s first Black Arts Festivals in 1967. She graduated with honors from Fisk University in 1967. Giovanni published her first book of poems, “Black Feeling,” “Black Talk” in 1968. She achieved a lot in her writing life. She established herself as a potential poet by winning many awards including a woman of the year from “Ladies Home Journal” in 1973. In recent years, she has produced new works of children “Rosa” (2005) “Acolytes” (2007). She works as a professor at St Joseph and Virginia Tech University. Her poems helped define the African-American voice. She was also a major force in the black art movement.

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

The poem “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a lengthy poem describing society and the social structure in the early 50’s from what it sounds. The short story “Girl,” deals with the experience of being young and female in a poor country. This poem describes a time when stereotypical gender roles where a huge part of society women had duties that only women could do such as clean, cook, wash clothing, watch the children and ect. And the men were head of the house hold and preserved as high and mighty, the untouchables by women and children. “This is how you iron your father 's khaki shirt so that it doesn 't have a crease; this is how you iron your father 's khaki pants so that they don 't have a crease;”(Kincaid) is an example of how the poem spells out how the women are supposed to cater to men, how to act in public settings and a variety of other things women were “meant to do” or as ordered by men.

This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality,