Tomás Monzón 3/3/09English I Period 1

Poetry ResponseChoices by Nikki Giovanni

This poem is one of those that really make you think. It's one of those that have an enduring characteristic of many poems – the simplicity of the vocabulary speaks nothing of the meaning. In prose, where the subject matter is given right in front of you, the simplicity of vocabulary, most often, lends itself to the simplicity of that which is being explained. Not necessarily the simplicity of the situation or the message – such a comment would be proven wrong after reading John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – but instead, the simplicity found in the description of what is occurring; the direct action, I mean. Poems, on the other hand, needn't narrate action; they skip right ahead to the message. For this reason, there is sometimes, with poems such as this, nothing to fall back on if the message is not understood. At the same time, I doubt the clarity of this I just explained, so without further ado, let's jump to taking a look at Nikki Giovanni's Choices. Choices is a distinctly personal poem, as is evident with Nikki Giovanni's work in other poems, such as one found in this nine week's very poem handout (All Eyez on U). It talks about a ubiquitous topic, as is also evident by the title, but its expression is everything but. The poem starts off with a message all too common – “if I can't do what I want to do then my job is to not do what I don't want to do”. This, to me, speaks greatly about, amongst other things, complying with what is at hand and not aspiring for something better; and this message is to be placed in the context of the modern, job-hunting world. If you can't, for some reason, pursue a certain career, then don't just settle for the least you can do; try to find something halfway, or try to pursue a different career. Despite this first call of the wild, however, the message here perhaps best fits in a not so ominous setting. Perhaps it aims to describe a more common struggle to do what you want to do, still within the job-hunting context. If you can't get a position at a job that you want, for example, don't settle for the worst – instead, look for something different but that you still might want to do. This message, I have a strange feeling, likely was supposed to fit into something different, bu that's the beauty, and ugly side o poetry – apply what you read to anything, anyplace, anytime, but always keep in mind that what you're thinking might not be what the author originally intended the poem or stanza to be about. Still, my examples are perhaps solidified by the next stanza = “it's not the same thing but it's the best I can do”. Maybe not.

The next stanza, I think, speaks about keeping humility and being humble. Yes, I said the same thing twice, but in different ways, so it's quite all right, I hope. “if I can't have what I want … then my job is to want what I've got and be satisfied that at least there is something more to want.” Not everyone in the world can have everything they want – if this were to happen... no, it just can't happen. So, we have to appreciate what we do have, because, frankly, and I'm guilty of it sometimes too, we don't. At the same time, compliance is a factor – and unfortunately, being happy with just what you have, knowing there is something more you want, but thinking it's up in space and it's not for you and just giving up – that is not good, in difference to how it is in technology (sort of like compliance with standards; that's usually a good thing). There is something more to aspire for, there is something to keep working towards. That's the moral.

The next stanzas, the final ones, were enshrouded in mysterious shadow and fog until repetitious analysis (doubting this is even a term) allowed me to clear the fog and voyage to the message these try to convey - “since I can't go where I need to go … then I must … go where the signs point through always understanding parallel movement isn't lateral / when I can't express what I really feel I practice feeling what I can express and none of it is equal I know but that's why mankind alone among the animals learns to cry”. These stanzas are puzzling, but once again, poetry allows you to define the message by your terms. Signs in life – people who guide you, people who teach you, people who help you – can tell you where to go, but parallel movement – that in which you move towards your future, like everyone else does – isn't lateral – people mingle, people connect. Then: all our feelings can't always be expressed, and in these cases, it's best to find help with what you can express – you must then feel it to be helped. Feelings are not shared; they are personal, and that's why man cries. A common factor for expressing that which has no similarities between people. This reminds of me of video editing – many use the same programs and features, but no video or film created is the same. The method does not equal the outcome.

Choices by Nikki Giovanni – an explanation of self, where the self is every human being.

Tomás Monzón 3/3/09English I Period 1