Analysis of Legacies Poem by Nikki Giovanni - Essay Example

Poems have always been a way to communicate and deliver messages what considered to be irrelevant and difficult to convey to the other person or a large group of people. ‘Legacies’ by Nikki Giovanni is one such poem that delivers a message of love and spirit of care for each other in families. The poem ‘Legacies’ describes an old woman and her granddaughter playing in a playground when the old woman calls out for the little girl and asks her to go with her since she wants her to learn how to make rolls.

This part shows that the old woman thinks about her traditions and the girl so that when she is gone i.e. dead, the little girl should know something to cook for herself and not depend on don others well her roll making recipe could be forwarded to the next generation. The girl on the other hand already knows how to make rolls but she did not say it directly to her grandmother since that would hurt her and when she dies, there would be a burden on her spirit so she just refuses the idea of making rolls in a playful way and runs away.

The grandmother ends up saying “and the old woman wiped her hands-onher apron saying “lord    these children”“ (Nikki)The main point in the poem raised by the poet Nikki Giovanni is that even though sometimes we do not mean what we actually say but this does not mean that our intentions are totally wrong. The old woman who asked her granddaughter to make rolls had no intention of taking her away while she was playing or she did not want her to waste her playtime but, she was in a way thinking about her future and passing her traditions.

The girl on the other hand knew already how to make rolls and she had no intention of hurting her old grandmother so she refused in a way that her grandmother does not get hurt. Concluding, we get to know that love actually exists and is passed on to generations in families where family, values, and morals are taught.