Analysis Of Choices By Nikki Giovanni

Throughout the poem “Choices” Nikki Giovanni portrays the feelings of how it is to be oppressed and not being able to express because you expressions are the ¨normal¨. In the first stanza Nikki seems to describe that she's grateful that at least she can refuse to do things that she doesn't want to but at the same time she displays that she's unable to speak her mind and do the things she wants. This pattern continues and the poem concludes with Giovanni accepting that she will not be able to express certain things because she is oppressed so she practices being okay only expressing thoughts that are accepted by her oppressors. Giovanni never mentions any specific attributes that caused her to be opressed. This is due to her mission that the …show more content…
This is why many of the lines in the poem can relate to the struggles that racial minorities experience. In an article, written by The Guardian, “Chokehold: policing black men” highlights how African Americans are treated as inferior in this country and when they try to speak against this mistreatment they are dismissed because they aren't white. Its is thought that every black man living in america has experienced a symbolic chokehold every time he goes outside. For in the words of the article “The sight of an unknown black man scares people, and the law responds with a set of harsh practices of surveillance, control and punishment designed to put down the threat.” This article demonstrates the struggles that these African Americans face, for these scenarios that include police brutality and mistreatment as a whole the topic becomes so touchy that many decide to avoid it and if it is brought up is usually ignored. For in choices poem Giovanni states “If I can't …show more content…
In a short story called “I used to get so excited when the meth was all gone.” The author mentions that “For gay people, we’ve always told ourselves that when the AIDS epidemic was over we’d be fine. Then it was, when we can get married we’ll be fine. Now it’s, when the bullying stops we’ll be fine. We keep waiting for the moment when we feel like we’re not different from other people. But the fact is, we are different. It’s about time we accept that and work with it.” This quote demonstrates that these individuals are using these scenarios as scapegoats so that they don't have to admit that they are the minority and are oppressed. For because being “different” is one of the leading cause to why people get treated unfairly and become suppressed most of the community do not want to accept the title. In another reading called “A word from the Nearly Distant Past”, Levithan the author, wrote “ silence equaled death , we'd say.And underneath that would be the assumption-the fear-that death equaled silence.” A big theme in the poem “choices”, is that these individuals are oppressed have to hold in any opinion or expression that goes against what social norms deems as the norm. This quote demonstrates the confliction for the these people who want to express their feeling and sexuality but can't