Civil Rights Movement: An Analysis Of Nikki Giovanni's Poetry

Nikki Giovanni

“We write because believe the human spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained,”—Nikki Giovanni a famous award winning poet, best known to write poems that range from love and friendship to the Civil Rights Movement. Nikki Giovanni has many well-known and famous poems. Nikki Giovanni’s life of a high spirited black woman living in the 1960s has influenced her poetry.

On June 7 of 1943 in Knoxville, TN Nikki Giovanni was officially introduced to the world. Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio Giovanni was brought up as an African American through the Civil Rights Movement. Giovanni has and older sister and a close relationship with her grandmother. Additionally, Giovanni grew up in poverty and tough times. However, Giovanni still remained happy during her childhood. It was when Giovanni went to Austin High school that she began her involvement in the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni was accepted into

Militant poetry is intended to get a response out of the reader, Giovanni wrote these poems dealing with racism out of anger. She wrote for awareness. At the time, no one seemed interested in publishing her first book of poems, so Giovanni took it upon herself to make her own company and publish the poems on her own. Giovanni’s better-known works include: “Love Is”, “Choices”, “A Poem Of Friendship”, and “I Wrote A Good Omelet.” Her family provided her and her older sister with many books. Authors such as Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and John Hersey inspired Giovanni to write. Giovanni’s written many books throughout her career and eventually grew into children's books. Critics tend to say that Giovanni writes out of rage but she claims that everyone's writing is based off of rage. Her writing is focuses on the African American identity. Giovanni has won seven NAACP Image awards and has been named a History Maker. Giovanni enjoys cooking, traveling, listening to music, writing, and