Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7th,1943. She was the youngest child, and she had one sister, Gray. Nikki Giovanni’s real name is Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr.; her older sister called her Nikki and the nickname stuck. In August her family moves to Cincinnati, Ohio, and her parents acquired jobs as housekeepers, (“Giovanni”). She gained a lot of appreciation for her African American heritage from her outspoken grandma. Nikki and her sister went to Knoxville often to visit their grandma. Her love for word and stories comes from her family. She states,“I come from a long line of storytellers”. Nikki Giovanni was exposed to the spoken word from a young age, and this could have influenced her to become a poet, (Editors). …show more content…
Giovanni states, “i gotta do is sit and wait cause i'm a woman”, (PoemHunter.com). The reader feels her impatiens and desolation about her situation because she happens to be a woman. She uses repetition in order to keep the reader's attention and emphasize her point. She also has a distinctive poetic style; she does not capitalize nor employ correct grammar in order to show the illiteracy of African Americans. The poem has no rhyme scheme, but rather it is a free verse. The tone is a feeling of sadness, desolation, and hopelessness which increases as the poem progresses. The poem is well written and highlights on topics that are prevalent today. “Choices”, another poem by Giovanni talks about settling on choices even if they are not what you want. She uses personification in the last stanza in order to connect our emotions to the choices we make. Nikki also uses repetition throughout her poem. There is no rhyme scheme present, but the poem is easy to read and has a nice rhythm. The tone of the poem is somber because she never does what she wants to do but always settles. The poem was pleasant, and it made the reader to think and analyze their choices,