Nikki Giovanni's "Woman" is, from beginning to end, is a
search for identity. It outlines clearly a partnership between a man and a woman where
the woman desires support he will not give her. Each stanza is a progression of her
attempts to be something and his failure in taking on the role of the "matched pair."
Ultimately she finds her strength and independence in herself alone, without
"him."
It is never wise to assume that the speaker of a
poem and the author are the same voice. However, because Nikki Giovanni is a
contemporary writer who has woven so much of herself and her life into her works,
looking at her life could provide some insight into the message in this poem. Giovanni
has written and published several volumes of poetry as well as children's books. She is
a successful writer, speaker, motivator, college professor and a lung cancer survivor.
Nowhere, in any published biography, does it mention that she is married or in a long
term relationship with anyone. She has managed to build her own success from the ground
up, on her own. If the poem "Woman" is in any way autobiographical, it most likely
speaks to a time when she thought she needed someone else to complete her, and the
epiphany moment that she realized she did not.
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