The main theme of the poem is how conventionality cannot relate to the issues of minorities. Nikki Giovanni was an African American revolutionist writer who illustrated that the surrounding environment plays a critical role in the creative aspect of a writer. The given piece wants to show that one cannot simply write what other people want if the conditions do not foster it. The writing addresses the issue of misperception of African Americans by other people, where the latter sees the former as being negative without understanding the underlying causes.
The poem uses basic items to describe the positivity and negativity surrounding the author. In the writing, after being accused of being hateful, the author attempts to write about positive things. For example, she writes: “I’ll do a big blue sky poem but all the clouds have winged” (Giovanni 11). The words used to describe positivity are trees and sky, but Nikki is surrounded by negativity, such as asphalt and clouds. These items are metaphors for the fact that African Americans are not able to see positivity because they are living in a highly negative environment.
The writing is relevant to the current issues that African American people are facing. An ignorant person might wonder why a black person seems to be hateful and angered. It is important to realize that the environment surrounding an average African American individual is harsh and hostile. He or she might want to write about positive things, but when he or she looks out, there is only police brutality, economic inequality, institutionalized racism, and systematic oppression. Therefore, such a black person has no other choice than to express the emotional response and demand change.
Work Cited
Giovanni, Nikki. Black Judgement. Broadside Lotus Press, 1968.