Legacies and Heritage
Nikki Giovanni and Linda Hogan both wrote poems in the 1970s about their grandmothers that seem totally different to the unaware reader. In actuality, they are very similar. These two poems, Legacies and Heritage, express the poet's value of knowledge passed down from grandmother to granddaughter, from generation to generation. Even though the poems are composed and read very differently, the underlying message conveyed is the same, and each are valid first-hand accounts of legacies and heritages. While Giovanni's Legacies is only about the grandmother, Hogan's Heritage describes, in addition to the grandmother's and her advice, the advice and appearances of other family members. Despite this, the grandmother remains the focus. In Giovanni's poem, the grandmother needs no introduction or background given for her. In Heritage, however, the mention of the other family members seems to set the stage for Hogan's mystical grandmother. Linda Hogan is a woman of mixed background; she is part Chickasaw Indian, and part Caucasian. This seems to cause Hogan doubts about herself. This is illustrated in the line " It was the brown stain/ that covered my shirt, / my whiteness a shame." (Hogan 243) These doubts coul
My grandmother taught me things, as did Giovanni's grandmother, as did Hogan's. And while these poems aren't mirror reflections of one other, they are different versions of the same narrative. Therefore, these two poems, with their outward differences, both convey the same theme. Linda Hogan has no such doubts or reservations like that. She probably feels self-loathing in response to being around her Indian relatives, due to her white background. She is just taking in all the information her grandmother and family members give her. All older generations strive to pass on their traditions and wisdom onto people who can still use them. Some part of her may want to learn how to make rolls, but the thought of no longer needing her grandmother outweighs her desire for knowledge. This could be the meaning behind the last line " From my family I have learned the secrets/ of never having a home. Giovanni and Hogan's grandmothers may seem a whole world apart from one other, but they are actually very much alike. Even the titles themselves are connected; heritage and legacy are synonyms of each other.
Common topics in this essay:
Linda Hogan,
Giovanni Hogan's,
Jewish Hogan,
Hogan's Heritage,
Legacies Heritage,
Indian Caucasian,
Plath Plath,
linda hogan,
Giovanni's Legacies,
Nikki Giovanni,
Giovanni Linda,
nikki giovanni linda,
strong sense,
sense family,
hogan doubts,
grandmother hogan's,
giovanni's poem,
nikki giovanni,
legacies heritage,
giovanni linda hogan,
strong sense family,
generation poems,
giovanni linda,
|
Acceptance Essays
