by: Nikki Giovanni

EGO TRIPPING

Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Lincoln Heights, an all-black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.

She graduated with honors from Fisk University, after graduating from Fisk, she attended the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

NIKKI GIOVANNI BIO

She published her first book of poetry, Black Feeling Black Talk, in 1968, and within the next year published a second book, thus launching her career as a writer.

The recipient of some twenty-five honorary degrees, she has been named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle Magazine, The Ladies Home Journal, and Ebony Magazine.

She was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and she has also been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry.

She is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and has received Life Membership and Scroll from The National Council of Negro Women.

Form• 9 Stanzas poem with 51 lines• It is a Free Verse poem with out a rhyme scheme• Has no caesuras Theme• The theme of the poem is that everyone on this Earth should

be equal no matter how we look or what we’ve doneMeter• Little to no specific structure in the poem • Line 4 uses Tribrach (a metrical foot of three short or

unstressed syllables)• More use of Iambic feet than Trochees (a foot consisting of

one long or stressed syllable followed by one short or unstressed syllable)

POEM ANALYSIS

• The poem talks about the strength of equality that goes around.

• Its also points out how people could become confused because of their ego

• It also calls for African Americans to become united and rise up by following their dreams

MEANING

• She (the narrator) shows that by talking about how terrible she is in the beginning and rising up to have over power the egos of people on top

• This poem represents and tells of the strength of equality in a system. It calls for blacks to rise up against the odds and inspire pride into their hearts.

• Giovanni’s poem makes a lot of biblical references and uses them as analogies to help us understand how her ego confused her because of her arrogance and pride. Thus giving it a tone of confusion.

• She then changes the tone on the last two line by changing her ego to “a bird in a sky” opposed to the God like ego that she had the whole poem

• Nikki Giovanni uses her past experiences to explain the loneliness of African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement

TONE

• Giovanni’s poem uses religious words and references for its diction to show how arrogant and egotistic the narrator is.

• She adds the idea of feminism to establish how much plain women go through

• You could find examples in lines 9, 12-14, 27-34.

DICTION

"He gave me rome for mother's day"- metaphor "like a bird in the sky …"- simile

"jesus"-biblical reference, allusion"All Praises All Praises"- repetition"so swift you cant catch me"- litotes

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY DEVICES

1. Where was the author born?A. New york B. Chicago C. Tennessee 2. Are there any caesuras in the poem?D. NoE. Yes 3. What type of poem is this?F. Italian sonnet G. Free verseH. Narrative

4. How many stanzas are there?A. 4B. 6C. 95. Which of the following schools did Nikki attend?D. Columbia University E. Harvard UniversityF. Stanford University

QUIZ!!!!

6. What is the meaning of the poem ?

A. African American culture is important.

B. Strength, equality, and for black people to rise up against all odds and inspire pride.

C. To show that African American culture is not as important in the U.S.

7.What is the diction like?

D. Religious words and references

E. Very cynical

F. Gang related

8. What is the over all theme to the poem?

A. Everyone is equal no matter how we look or what we’ve done

B. People should be treated fairly

C. People value education

9. What type of meter is used?

D. Monometer

E. Little to no structure

F. Trimeter

10.What is one literary device used in the poem?