Lucille Clifton

poet Lucille Clifton. Clifton says in her poem “all week you have stood in my dreams/ like a ghost, asking for more time” (Clifton 289). In this poem, she was talking about her father, whom had just died. Her father was a hard-working man who provided for his family, however, was not a gentleman and created turmoil for Clifton and her mother. Clifton’s father worked at the New York steel mill, while her mother was a stay at home wife, but was also an aspiring poet. This inspired Clifton and…

written by a talented individual called Lucille Clifton. When I initially read this poem, I pictured Lucille as a beautiful young blonde lady that was shaped like a coke bottle; a beautiful young blond lady that our society would proclaim as Americas Next Top Model, but incorrect I was Lucille was the total opposite. Lucille was a black thick lady that had the mine set of a royal queen; a mine set that would turn heads of individuals strolling down the street. Lucille is an African American lady…

“Free hips” Lucille Clifton’s poem, “homage to my hips” (1987), portrays the openness of hips. The speaker is sassy and very bold about her hips. The sassiness in this poem creates a comic poem. Clifton uses repetition to show the reader women’s independence. The speaker’s mindset in this poem is that she is not going to let a person control her or tell her what to do. Clifton is grateful of her hips, and she is proud of them. Clifton uses repetition in this poem when she states “these hips…

two poems that come in mind at the time we analyze women in their sexual, racial, and experiential alienation. Plus, they are also written by women. These two poems are "Note Passed To Superman" by Lucille Clifton, and "Her Kind" by Anne Sexton. In the poem "Note Passed To Superman" by Lucille Clifton we are reading about a woman that is asking for a savior to save her from the pit of hell, which is the society that she lives in, and that savior is Superman. In the poem "Her Kind" by Anne…

Lucille Clifton, author of the poem “The Lost Baby”, describes in a very intensified manner about a young mother’s loss. She has the guilt of losing her unborn child which, she didn’t tell how she lost her baby. But from the first sentence “the time i dropped your almost body down”, it seems she might had abortion or some tragic accident. In the second part of the poem, she imagines that her baby would be born in the winter. In the last part, she says that if she does not treat her living…

Margie Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” and Lucille Clifton’s “homage to my hips” both critique body shaming in society. Piercy offers an example of how a female is body shamed and the negative effects body shaming takes mentally and physically. However, Clifton displays an example of empowerment and the acceptance of a non-traditional body standard. Which of these two works provides a better critique of body shaming? The answer is that Margie Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” offers a better model than Clifton’s…

Being an editor for my publication Unnamed Trademarked Patent Pending has its up and its downs but writing an anthology for Gwendolyn Brookes, Sherman Alexie, Lucille Clifton, Sylvia Plath and Gary Soto was eye opening. These are some of the best poets that I have had the opportunity to read and appreciate in my lifetime. The diversity among the bunch was very fulfilling, from poetry about racial tension, native American culture, women empowerment, depression to young love. Initially the poems…

permeate throughout society. Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, and Colleen McElroy are all excellent examples of this very idea. Each person knew exactly who they were culturally, and were therefore able to fully express themselves in their work. The fact that these authors knew who they were is directly correlated to the fact that they were able to say exactly what they wanted to have said in their writings throughout their careers. Hughes, Clifton, and McElroy were all able to establish a…

another. Two common figures of speech are simile and metaphor. In “Miss Rosie” Lucille Clifton uses the figurative language “wrapped up like garbage” to describe the unappealing wardrobe of a character. Simile: A simile is a direct comparison between items that are unlike in most ways but similar in one respect. This comparison is usually made through the use of the words “like” and “as.” In “Miss Rosie” Lucille Clifton uses the simile “wrapped up like garbage” to describe the unappealing…

The tone of the poem is celebratory of the fact that the family is all together and has paid their bills "and dancing in the kitchen". Clifton uses a different vernacular in order to show that she is speaking for an African American family such as "these is good times". The underlying need to stand strong in the face of adversity with help of the memories of the "good times" helps show the…