Nikki's Poetry Synthesis Essay

Many things shaped Nikki’s writings. Her style was sensitive, talking about the struggles of being black from social, political, cultural, and economic standpoints (Carson 901). Nikki often wrote about what she was going through at the time (Carson 903); she wrote many of her works while dealing with the anger she felt toward her grandma’s death, as well as when she had cancer (“Nikki” 154). She also wrote about what she believes in. focusing on how people are more important than ideas (Pettis 126). Nikki’s grandma was an activist, as well as one of the many influences on her writing. Her parents and grandparents taught her a lot of the things she wrote about. Nikki was also influenced by powerful women in the world. Her French and English teachers in high school helped further her career, so she wrote about them (“Nikki” 151). She was also influenced by leaders of the Black Arts Movement (“Nikki” 152) and Civil Rights Movement, talking about the struggle of being black in America (“Nikki” 155).
Nikki’s early writings talked about black trends. …show more content…
She wrote about her childhood, including what it was like to grow up black, and being abused by her father, although she was never mad at him for it (“Nikki” 155). This poem also talks about societal issues such as alcoholics, domestic violence, and drug addicts. In Nikki’s mind, issues in society don’t matter as long as you are together with the ones you love, which gives you strength. In “Nikki Rosa”, white understanding, or lack thereof, is discussed. Whites have different values than blacks, so they do not know what being black is like (Carson 904). Nikki talks about her childhood, about how her family was poor, but never wanted readers’ sympathy. Family importance is a very strong message in the poem. ‘Nikki Rosa’ is a nickname her sister gave her as a child. This poem is her most well-known poem, written in 1968 (“Nikki”