Essay --

As an illustrious poet, writer, activist, and educator, Nikki Giovanni conjoins her life experiences and tenacity for a brighter future and intertwines them to create her astonishing work. Giovanni is an African American proponent for civil rights and equality which is illuminated in her poem â€Å"Woman.† The girl in the poem possesses pertinacious qualities that are similar to Giovanni’s. The piece itself highlights the worth of women and their equality to men since women are not required to be submissive to them, the process of searching for true identity, and the power one has to make a difference in oneself. The first stanza begins with the metaphor â€Å"she wanted to be a blade / of grass amid the fields† (1-2) which compares the girl’s desire to grow as a person to the growth of grass but also introduces her longing for individuality. It becomes apparent that the boy in her life is not supportive and â€Å"he wouldn’t agree to be the dandelion† (3-4) or provide a stable foundation for their relationship like a dandelion lacking coherence with grass. The second stanza opens with t...