“Kidnap Poem”
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/kidnap-poem-3/ Nikki Giovanni The poem feels very romantic. Being kidnapped by the poet means more symbolically to be taken and put into poetry, where one’s good elements can be displayed and where one can be won over through the beauty of poetry. Giovanni uses allusions to get her message across. She references places like Coney Island, where people from New York often go on dates (think the movie Brooklyn or every date rape case on SVU). She also expects the reader to know the symbolic importance of being taken to mama’s house, a place clearly meant to be important to children and meeting her is a big step in a relationship. She also uses poetry as a metaphor for a relationship. Her use of poetic phrases such as “phrases and meter” are a way of showing how she kidnaps the person. For Giovanni, poetry is her life and saying that she’ll incorporate the person into a poem, whether he knows it or not, is symbolic of how she cares. The poetry itself is for the feelings or thoughts she has. Giovanni doesn't actually kidnap anyone, but she puts the person into a poem even though he likely doesn't know it. This is her way of expressing an emotion and shows the deep thought she puts into her surroundings and how poetry allows her to express herself. "Choices"
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/choices-144/ Nikki Giovanni Nikki Giovanni presents a very common sense view on the choices we make in every day life. She reminds the reader that sometimes our choice must be to accept what we cannot choose. When you don't get to do was you want to do, it is your choice to not do what you don't want to do. It means choosing to find joy in what you have and finding something to look forward to. It means sometimes just choosing to go where life takes you, maybe even through spiritual guidance. If you can't express what you really feel, then you must choose to feel what you can express. These may never be the ideal options, but you always have that choice to work with what you have and not see the worst. These choices are critical to finding purpose and joy in life, not sadness and despair. “Knoxville Tennessee”
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/knoxville-tennessee/ Nikki Giovanni The poem evokes powerful imagery of life in the South. The innocence of childhood and time spent with grandparents combines with the imagery of beautiful mountains and heaping piles of delicious Southern cooking with sounds of gospel music in the background. She presents it as if there is nothing better in the world, and it's not hard to believe. Life in Knoxville, Tennessee couldn't have had better food. There is nothing better in the summer than fresh corn. It is so sweet and full of flavor and can just bring happiness. Homemade ice cream is another southern classic, even if hard to find anymore. I have on occasion gotten to enjoy the purest forms of some of this fine southern cuisine. It's always felt like I'm spending time with a dying generation, the last of a generation of true southern culture. Nikki Giovanni seems to recognize this too. It's not just a yearning for childhood, but a yearning for a time that is quickly fading away. For Giovanni, the food probably doesn't taste like it used to, the gospel isn't as loud and boisterous as it once was, and the family not what it once was. This yearning for things lost is felt by all, but there is something especially poignant in Giovanni’s writing. It's as if she's recalling a warmth that has cooled through her life. |
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