I found this poem to be very important to my research for it shows the opposite side of what I am trying to find answers to. The fact that Nikki Giovanni talks so highly of Black Men in this poem and focuses on the positive aspects of the beautiful Black Men, it still seems that she has to reference the hardships that they once faced. The whole poem is dedicated to the beauty of being Black and then their is one line in the first stanza that lets the reader know that the speaker is aware of the hardships but it seems that she tries to cover them up while emphasizing the positive aspects of being Black.
Beautiful Black Men
by Nikki Giovanni
(With compliments and apologies to all not mentioned by name)
i wanta say just gotta say something
bout those beautiful beautiful beautiful outasight
black men
with they afros
walking down the street
is the same ol danger
but a brand new pleasure
sitting on stoops, in bars, going to offices
running numbers, watching for their whores
preaching in churches, driving their hogs
walking their dogs, winking at me
in their fire red, lime green, burnt orange
royal blue tight tight pants that hug
what i like to hug
jerry butler, wilson pickett, the impressions
temptations, mighty mighty sly
don't have to do anything but walk
on stage
and i scream and stamp and shout
see new breed men in breed alls
dashiki suits with shirts that match
the lining that compliments the ties
that smile at the sandals
where dirty toes peek at me
and i scream and stamp and shout
for more beautiful beautiful beautiful
black men with outasight afro
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I do not have much to say about this poem because I think that you nailed it on the head in the beginning paragraph before the poem. What I will say is that I love how you are connecting it to your research poet, but I was wonder if you could stray away from the hardships because I can deff. see that there were many extreme hardships for the African American man and there still are today. Anyways I was wondering if you could back to the book it would be nice to know what is going on with Clara and Archie? Anyways good stuff with incorporating the pictures and links into your blogs. keep it up!
-- l.katz
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