Nikki-Rosa

The poem, “Nikki-rosa” written by Nikki Giovanni, an African American poet, who was born in 1943. During the sixties, she emerged as a black poet whose militancy during the civil rights movement made her immensely popular. In 1968, she published the poem “Nikki-rosa”. In the poem “Nikki-rosa”, she uses her childhood as the basis of this story. Nikki-rosa communicates through her childhood memories, the belief that white people and black people have fundamentally different ideas about wealth and happiness. That white people and black people see their personal life experiences differently. Wealth for black people is love, family, and togetherness; not tangible items. The sense of community and acceptance was more valuable than having even an

Throughout the poem, the author chooses simple diction. This makes the tone straightforward and blunt, like a black America who simply expresses himself instead of sermonizing about discrimination. Thereby, readers can accept the poem’s argument more easily. Furthermore, the author writes the poem mostly in long sentences to emphasize on short yet important sentences such as “That’s America.”, “Be we are. That’s true!”

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,

Certain elements of the story help the reader to understand the purpose of the this short story. The setting in the deep south of Memphis Tennessee plays an essential role in reinforcing racial inequality during the 1950s. The 1950s was a time of segregation. In fact, specifically in the state of Tennessee, the Jim Crow Laws were being implemented. These laws included segregation in schools, transportation, marriages, and public accommodations. Thus, racism was not only acceptable and legal, but expected in American culture. Additionally, Walker’s characters, The deacon and Traynor’s fans, reinforce the theme of the racism and exploitation. The deacon refers to African Americans as “you people” and “colored” (Walker). From the outset, the deacon exploits Gracie Mae by offering her a measly five hundred dollars for not just the recording rights, but for all of the records she made of the song. When Gracie Mae tries to get additional money for the purchase of her records, the deacon replies with a disparaging, “What white man—and don’t even need to mention colored—would give you more?” (Walker).

Patricia Smith's "What its like to be a black girl is a breathtaking poem to read as it gives the real picture of what a black American girl who is faced by racial prejudice, inner struggles and slavery. This poem will be compared and contrasted with Nadine Gordimer's country lover which is also a heart-rending story about a young black skinned girl-Thebedi finding herself in love with a white skinned Afrikaner boy-Paula whose parents are the young girls' masters. She is also faced with slavery, prejudice, racism and pursuit for freedom (Brown, 2009). This paper will critically compare the two literary works in terms of content, style and form.

Obviously, this entire poem was a flashback of the authors childhood and what she went through growing up during such a changing time in American history. This flashback occurs during the integration period, where African Americans and whites started to attend school together. Even though laws banned segregation and racism, there was still racial tension that not only affected blacks, but those that were biracial. During this time, if one has at least one drop of black blood in them, they are considered black. In American, being black was a bad thing because blacks are the ones that are oppressed. African Americans were and still are treated like they are less than, based simply on the color of their skin. Tretheway had a valid reason for wanting to disown her black side because she wanted to be treated with the same respect as those who were not black. Tretheway had an opportunity to lie about who she was since she had such light skin, and she took it. But as she reflects back on what she went through, she realizes that she should have accepted who she was, no matter how others would view her. After looking back on her past, she was able to recognize the importance of self-acceptance and how it is more important than getting acceptance from those her. Natasha Tretheway used her writing ability and experiences to share the experiences she went through to let readers know that they are not

The way some of the African-Americans spoke is very well seen and expressed in some of their poems. In document D, it is brung to the light by words like “de” meaning “the,” “ma” meaning “my,” and “an’” meaning “and.” This shows racial pride by showing what they grew up saying and their

Through an informal style of writing, a second person narra-tion, and juxtaposition, Giovanni provides her audience the feeling that the narrator is speaking in the present moment, and truthfully, about the misconception that black people are unhappy. Throughout the poem, the second person narration allows audiences to take a more active role in the story. The hypothetical statement, “if you’re Black,” reveals the narrator’s intention to use the second person

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Blacks could deliver themselves of spontaneous bursts of emotion, but were incapable of the intellect and concentration that great art requires.” (Cook, Tatum, 2010). It is widely believed that people of African descent could not read poetry or understand art, let alone create them. Both Alice Walker and Patricia Smith are two great examples of how far, not only as African American have come, but also as African American Women. Whether white, black, or brown we all want to fit in. That is why I chose Alice Walker’s short story, “The Welcome Table” and Patricia Smith’s poem, “What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl.” They both have similar, yet different of setting a tone, imagery, symbolism, and point of views of how it feels to be an outcast. The main theme is about racism. Another theme is about black women who long to escape and be free, but cannot have that freedom because of the society they live in.

The poem was written during the Harlem Renaissance. From the year 1910 to the 1930s this particular period was known as the New Negro Movement where it was considered a golden age in African American culture, where literature, music, stage performance and art were all a form of expression. The Harlem Renaissance was an important moment in African American history because Blacks gained recognition and paved the way for future artists, composers, musicians, photographers and most importantly writers. Some of the most influential African American writers and/or poets during this time

Langston Hughes emphasizes the theme of racism and discrimination in the poem through the tone, speaker, and personification in the poem. The tone of the poem seems to be optimistic and patriotic, and

The angry and aggressive tone displays the attitudes and aggression towards the tenant for being African American. The tenant begs for repairs and his denied by his cruel landlord. The hostility of the poem can be seen in “You ain’t gonna be able to say a word / If I land my fist on you” as the tenant threatens the landlord for not repairing the home(19-20). The landlord is aggressive as well; for instance when he calls the police he says “He’s [the tenant] trying to ruin the government / And overturn the land,” which shows the landlord’s distaste for the tenant (23-14). The excerpt displays the landlord’s thinking that African Americans are ruining the United States and shouldn’t even be part of the

African American Literature has been around for many centuries. The authors of these literary pieces are usually written by African Americans that live through or experienced the hardships blacks had to encounter during that time period. African Americans believed that one of the ways to be heard by the people was through poetry. In Nikki-Rosa and Two Poems, we are able to see a glimpse of how blacks were viewed by the whites. Also, how whites did not value African Americans as human beings. Through Nikki Giovanni and Haki R. Madhubuti poems, we can understand what the literature meant, what it meant to be an African American in those times, what we are not taught in a normal classroom, and what this meant for empowerment.

African Americans are unhappy with the amount of struggles and negativity they face within the era of Jim Crow Laws, that it pains them to be “happy”. Furthermore, in Lines 6 and 7, “Why should the world be otherwise, In counting all out tears and sighs?” suggest that the African Americans need to come to terms with what’s going on and be true to themselves and their suffering. Lastly, in line 8 and 9, “Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask.” proposes that the truth is harder to accept than wearing the

The main person in the poem is the tenant, which in the last line tells us, he is black. The tenant is characterized by his slang and his strong dislike for the landlord. The tenant uses slang, contracted words, and nonstandard grammar. This non formal way of English suggests the tenant’s separation from the world of convention, represented by the formal way of the police and the press, which appear later in the poem.