Lucille Clifton’s Naomi
Delores McCoy
What if, somehow, the biblical reader could actually get into the minds of the people written about in the bible and in doing so find that what is believed to be one thing, really means something very different. In the poem "naomi watches as ruth sleeps" Lucille Clifton explores the biblical story of widows Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth and challenges the reader to accept Naomi in a different light.
Found in the Old Testament of the King James Version in the Book of Ruth, is the story of Naomi, a woman whose husband dies and not long after her she also loses her two sons. Ruth, her daughter-in-law decides to stay with Naomi and draw from her strength. Ruth makes a promise to Naomi:
for whether thou goest, I will go...
The story concludes once Ruth marries Boaz, a wealthy landowner and the man Naomi has chosen for Ruth.
Where the biblical story portrays Naomi as an unselfish and caring woman willing to unselfishly protect and care for Ruth, Clifton’s first six verses, at once show the readers an alternative version:
she clings to me
like a shadow
when all that i wish
is to sit alone
longing for my husband
my sons.
"Like a shadow," ruth’s presence is always there - invading naomi’s space, monopolizing her emotions, casting gloom over her life. Lucille Clifton has become naomi’s voice posing an alternative to the biblical interpretation from perspective of a disenchanted widow who must unwillingly carry the burden of protecting and guiding her daughter-in-law. This changes the biblical thought of the unselfish mother-in-law willing to sacrifice her own feelings of loss and anger and who places her daughter -in-law’s happiness first.
As a Christian, my reaction to Clifton’s concept is, at first, objectionable. The idea of the saintly personal of Naomi being reduced to a self-indulgent, angry woman would certainly cause even the most half-hearted Christian righteous indignation. Yet, the reader cannot dismiss the thoughts evoked when considering the possibility of this new naomi. A naomi who voices anger, feels pain, and yes, who grieves.
Clifton’s "what if?" exploration of the Book of Ruth posits another gleam of thought about what Naomi may have been thinking rather than what is normally accepted. The title of the poem further epitomizes Clifton’s adaptation. "naomi watches as ruth sleeps" is used as a metaphor where Naomi is literally watching as Ruth lay sleeping. Naomi’s voice becomes a soliloquy, "I really do not want to be bothered, but since I’m stuck with you (Ruth), I’ll quickly rid myself of you by marrying you off to a wealthy landowner who will be attracted to you and will take you as one of his concubines and then, finally, please God, I can grieve for my husband and sons." The reader exhales with Clifton’s naomi when, after marrying off ruth, naomi speaks with finality:
jehovah willing
i can grieve in peace
These last two lines of the poem brings hope of closure to naomi’s open wounds. At peace with herself and God, naomi can now be left alone t to heal. Contrarily, the biblical passage offers that in denial of herself, naomi is therefore, healed of her grief.
Clifton’s version removes Naomi’s virtuous status and replaces it with a blemished image that leaves the reader, albeit reluctantly, questioning, or at least wondering, about an otherwise biblical truth.
The second half of the title "ruth sleeps" is also metaphorically used. The "what if?" in Lucille Clifton’s adaptation places Ruth sleeping as Naomi watches over Ruth, her eyes piercing Ruth’s beautiful and youthful face, perhaps thinking, "she has her whole life ahead of her." Naomi has already passed her childbearing and marriageable years. "ruth sleeping" is also another opportunity for Clifton to further question Naomi’s character.
As Clifton asks questions, so does the reader. The relativity of the poem shows the human rather than supernatural emotions of a woman in Naomi’s position. Jealousy and envy come to mind, far from the characteristics implied in the biblical passage. You are persuaded to pity naomi rather than praise her.
"ruth sleeps" may posit still another thought of the feelings naomi has toward Ruth. Naomi is not only grieving for her husband and sons. She is also grieving for her own lost youth. The idea that naomi would have thoughts of grief over her lost youth invokes images of self-pity which is uncharacteristic of the biblical Naomi. Yet, how many women (or men) faced with Naomi’s dilemma would not have also had such thoughts?
As the Christian reader ponders on Clifton’s poem, the initial objections to her reflections now begin to subside and light evolves, illuminating understanding. Naomi has become a living person who is simply sharing her private thoughts with the reader.
"naomi watches as ruth sleeps" gives the reader a different approach to a biblical passage that traditionally exemplifies the "perfect woman." However, it is this difference, the "what if," which allows every opportunity for the reader to question and discuss Naomi’s and Ruth’s relationship and also to emotionally connect with the other side of naomi. The side that grieves and hurts. The same as any woman in her autumn years who has lost a husband and two sons and faces the possibility of a future alone.
The bible does not infer what Clifton proposes in "naomi watches as ruth sleeps." Even so, no one actually knows Naomi’s thoughts when faced with the charge of caring for Ruth when she should have been grieving. Lucille Clifton opens the door for questioning and in doing so sheds new light on the story of Naomi and Ruth.
Drifting Back in Lucille Clifton’s Poem
"4/25/89 late"
Emily Tallenger
The tender emotions and sentimental feelings that came to my mind after reading Lucille Clifton’s poem titled "4/25/89 late" did not develop immediately. After several readings of the poem, I found myself drifting back twelve years ago. The similarities between my first experience of coping with death and the poem then began to evolve. Clifton’s poem stirred an abundance of familiar feelings within me that have been silent for years. Memories of visiting my grandmother in the hospital were within the lines of her poem. The imagery about healthier and happier times, laughing together, and feeling safe all set the tone for my reading of the poem. In this essay, I will critically examine the essence of Clifton’s poem "4/25/89 late" which prompted such clear and vivid memories of my personal experiences with loss.
In her poem, Clifton invites the reader to visit a moment that occurred previously in her life. She drifts back to a happier time when she could laugh and be carefree. She recalls a time before a life changing incident; a moment that she will revisit many times. Clifton is remembering a self that was not aware of the events that 4/25/89 would bring. The poem shows the circumstances before the event happens. It captures a moment where she feels good, safe and healthy. For that moment, she is unaware of the news the doctor will give her; she is unaware of the change that is about to take place in her life.
The line "you will run under a grayer sky" tells the reader that 4/25/84 was a different sky than today. The grayness of the sky sets the tone for the depressing news. The sea she will run by will not be the sea of today because the events of that day will change her world significantly. She is "wearing a green knit cap" that could be representative of a stocking cap worn while jogging, but the green cap will turn into the green cap worn in the hospital, and then finally become the cap worn to cover up the effects of chemotherapy. She will not be "prepare[d] to meet that stethoscopic group" because no one can be prepared for such news. She is not able to imagine herself an "almost ghost." She is forced to contemplate the possibility of death while still finding the will to live through the diagnosis.
The cancer diagnosis in the poem first drew me in. I immediately pictured my grandmother’s struggle with cancer. My grandmother passed on in 1988. This date lies between the date of the poem, 4/25/89 and the diagnosis date, 4/25/84. I began to draw parallels with the mention of the "green knit cap." The poem unlocked the memory of my grandmother wearing a turban while lying in her hospital bed. She had several of these turbans, all different colors, that she wore to cover up her head after all the endless chemotherapy. Just as the speaker in the poem recalls she was "wearing that green knit cap/we laughed about," my sister and I thought the turbans my grandmother wore were so funny looking. We never thought to look underneath those colorful turbans and see that she had to wear them because the chemotherapy had taken away her dark, curly hair. She had numerous tubes and IV’s connected to her arms and nose. Her organs could barely function on her own and she needed many machines to support her. I don’t know if at the age of eight I understood what all these machines meant. I remember it being Christmas time, taking her Santa Bears, and gathering around her hospital bed. I still felt safe then, because for me, death was still not expected. I remember taking turns holding her hand and being surrounded by love. Love was a constant in my family and I know my grandmother taught me a great deal about how to love.
The death of my grandmother brought upon my first funeral experience. I had lost my other grandmother a year before, yet the effect was so different without having a funeral to attend. I was young and very uncertain about what was happening. The funeral brought about closure. I was able to "prepare" for the changes that would take place. I was able to cry for her and be surrounded by family and friends. I was able to see her after her death and it made me fearful because that is the image I so clearly remember. When I think back and try to picture her, I think of the way the make-up significantly changed the way she looked. She did not look "well and safe." I did not see the grandmother I had grown up seeing. That was the first time in my life that I remember crying uncontrollably. I didn’t think the tears would ever cease. I learned how to mourn and accept the loss of a loved one. Just as Clifton states that "the sea will not be this one," I know that my grandmother rests in a more beautiful place than here on earth. I know that she has moved past the gray skies and harsh sea that were present during her death.
Clifton’s poem goes back to a time where the loved one the speaker is remembering was healthy. The lines "sweating home again/after your run, all fit/ and well and safe" reminisce about the days before the cancer took over. I have only a few memories of the time that I was able to share with my grandmother when she was well. I’ve seen many pictures and heard many stories. I know she lived a full and healthy life until she could no longer battle the cancer. I know I felt safe with her and I know we shared many laughs and good times together. She showered me with love and affection. I know she had courage to face the disease and be strong for her family as well.
When I read the stanza in the poem "the time will have jerked back/ into five years ago," I found myself wishing I could go back. Being older, and more aware of so many other things now, opens a sea of questions and feelings I did not possess at that stage in my life. I would give anything to be able to go back and hear her stories, ask her questions, to know her at this age. I’d like to be able to go back and continue to draw on her wisdom and experience. I want to go back to the time when she was in perfect health "all fit/and well and safe."
The title of the poem "late," also creates those feelings of recognizing it is too late to go back, except in my thoughts or dreams. At the time of my grandmother’s death I may not have been aware of what was actually happening. I did not know it was the last time I would say "I love you." I did not know I would not get the chance to know her like my sister and mother knew her. It’s too late to let her see me grown up, to share my struggles and successes with her, to make her proud. I cannot remember the memories that I wish were there, the memories that I wish I could go back for. I don’t remember her voice, or laugh, or opinions. I miss her words of wisdom and advice that I could so dearly use now that I’m older. My mother believes my grandmother is still an integral presence in our lives. As in the poem, it is also clear the person still has an effect on the speaker’s life even after so many years.
Perhaps I have gleaned from the poem that expressing memories and events in writing is a permanent and important way of preserving family "wisdom" and keeping the spirits of loved ones alive. Writing in a journal and collecting letters and cards that I’ve received are essential. Asking my mother, father, and grandfathers to tell me their stories and jot down their advice and memories to pass on to the next generation is invaluable to me. We have never been a family that documents events very well. I realize the importance of pictures and videos, as well as diaries to preserve such priceless memories.
Although this poem has a very somber effect, it is in many ways hopeful. It shows the ability we as humans have to recall and revisit happier times. The ability to express our feelings and events in our lives and the ability to remember them and share them with others. It shows the significant impact people have on our lives and our willingness to revisit special moments. The lines in the poem "hear yourself pronounced / an almost ghost" lead me to the conclusion that we will never be prepared to hear our diagnosis. The speaker in the poem is "almost" a ghost, but not quite. Their presence will always be significant in the speaker’s life, just as my grandmother’s will always be prominent in mine as well.
I feel blessed to know that I can always visit happier times in my thoughts and dreams. I can awake and "jerk back" time to ten or twelve years ago. I know there will never be a time when I’ll be prepared to "meet that stethoscopic group" that may alter my life or the life of a loved one. I understand that life can change in an instant and that there are such mysteries that we cannot fully explain or control, but merely learn from.
Lucifer: Bringing Readers Light
beside You
at Your feet, perhaps,
but, amen, Yours. (14-17)
This conclusion shows that, while he has not lost the pride that makes him think that he is worthy of sitting beside God, he is willing to submit in order to remain His. Since the son of the morning was cast out of Heaven for demanding that he be treated as God’s equal, this is quite a concession.
The final poem of the sequence, "…………is God.", has Lucifer explaining that he is imbued not only with a little piece of the tongue of God, but also with the tendency to overuse it. He states the ultimate relationship of himself to God. Since all of existence issued
forth from the word of God, the ending of the poem "You kiss my brother mouth. / the rest is silence." (12-13) is quite profound. It implies that when he is joined to God in a kiss, nothing else exists because silence is the absence of the word that created all.
Clifton creates, through all of these poems, a picture of a Lucifer who is recognizable as being truly human. He has human emotions and human motivations. He even sees himself as being more human than anything else. This image of Lucifer causes a reader who has been taught the American cultural description of him to reevaluate their opinion of Lucifer in light of this new perspective. If the personification of all that is evil is, in fact, a human person, then what is evil outside of mankind? The reader is most likely to respond to this question with the response that Lucifer is representative of humanity in its lack of understanding of God and His purpose, and that evil is best defined by humanity because of our lack of understanding. There is no evil except as we misunderstand God’s purpose.
Clifton’s poems about Lucifer ultimately act as Lucifer himself did. Lucifer was the light-bringer – that is, in fact, what the name Lucifer means. Her poems shed light upon our understanding of Lucifer and his role, meaning, and purpose. This light makes it easier for us to see our understandings, but it is still up to us to construct or change that understanding. This is perhaps the best thing for someone whose name, Lucille, also stems from the root word for light.
This essay was a prize-winner in the Amy S. McCombs/Frederick P. Currier Writing Contest in April 2000.
Cultural Study of Lucille Clifton's "grandma we are poets"
Joan Hooks-Polk
The poem "grandma we are poets" in Lucille Clifton's book, Quilting is a complex multidirectional work. Clifton opens the poem by giving the clinical definitions of autism and subverts it by offering an imaginative alternative reason for the behavior. As I read further, I realized the imagistic complexities of this poem. Clifton is not only talking about the medical class; she includes society, the government, and anyone that marginalizes another. The oppressors in "grandma we are poets" are any dominant group that subjugates another for the purpose of control. Clifton successfully reconstructs the relationships between the dominant and subordinated cultures. I categorically agree with Clifton.
Clifton starts by cleverly deconstructing the symptoms of autism, and offers an opposing view. She challenges the medical society definition of what classifies a person as autistic. Clifton says, rather than attack my use of language, why not say I express myself differently. I love the way Clifton gives the dictionary description of a symptom, and subverts it to show an alternative reason for the behavior. She says,
in psychology a state of mind
characterized by daydreaming
say rather i imagined myself
in place before
language imprisoned itself
in words
We are not all blessed with an eloquent vocabulary, yet we are able to communicate. In the next stanza, Clifton again exemplifies the pattern that is the focus of the poem. In other words, what I see when I look through my eyes may be different than what you see.
by failure to use language normally.
say rather that labels
and names rearranged themselves
into description
so that what i saw
i wanted to say.
In the diverse society that we share, there must be room for differences in people, without labeling. As a poet, I can relate to being labeled. Recently I was called strange for appreciating poetry. I agree with Clifton, if we do not respond to a situation the way society dictates that we should, we should not be marked and categorized.
Clifton's displays her mastery of reconstruction by changing her focus from the medical class to society, and the politics that would allow one group to dominate another.
by hallucinations, and ritualistic and repetitive
patterns of behavior
such as excessive rocking and spinning
say rather circling and
circling my mind i am sure i imagined
children without small rooms
imagined young men black and
filled with holes imagined
girls imagined old men penned
imagined actual humans
howling their animal fear
Why don't the children have a small room? Why are the young black men filled with holes? Who penned up the old men? Are these things imagined, as Clifton says or are they actual? The people are disenfranchised because they are not a part of the power structure. They are shelterless "without a small room," in jail "penned up" and murdered "filled with holes." The people that are dehumanized and reduced to animal status cry out for justice. They are "howling their animal fear" to a society that would allow these things to continue.
Clifton moves into the complexities of the text in the next stanza. She introduces the means of production used by the dominant cultures to foster separation. She calls them apartheid, hunger, and war.
by failure to relate to others
say rather they began
to recede to run back
ward as it were
into a world of words
apartheid hunger war
i could not follow
The large space or gap between the words apartheid, hunger and war is where the subordinated group resides. They are caught in the middle of a world where apartheid, hunger, and war are the norm. In the next stanza Clifton calls it a vast tragedy.
by disregard of external reality,
withdrawing into a private world
say rather i withdrew
to seek within myself
some small reassurance
that tragedy while vast
is bearable
What is the vast tragedy? The vast tragedy is man's inhumanity to man and the weight that an opposed person must carries. Life's tragedies can weigh heavy on our shoulders.
Oftentimes, one has to withdraw within ones self to find strength and the strength is often oppositional. Throughout the poem Clifton questions the inequalities between the ruling class and the subordinated cultures. In her last stanza Clifton elucidates all the atrocities that are heaped on the marginalized class and calls it a vast tragedy. Clifton's "grandma we are poets" is a great example of the value of applying a cultural approach to this poem. She reconstructs society's descriptions and labels, and offers an imaginative alternate understanding. I have never seen this done within the confines of a poem.
Remember
Ziamiah Al-Haqq
Lucille Clifton's poem "Fury" expresses the anger of a female poet who has given up her voice through the action of burning her poems. At the onset of destroying the poems, the woman's ability to speak is silent and thus she is furious. The poem seeks to relay the message that women must have a voice. This feminine voice, which we will call "otherness", should be respected and accepted by this male dominated society which has for many years oppressed women. In "Fury," the poet had acquired a voice. This female's voice is represented through the written words contained in the poems. However, the act of burning the poems did indeed put this poet in a position to give up her voice and thus has no representation in this patriarchal society. Therefore, we cannot forget the past or the historical efforts of women who fought to expose the "patriarchal prejudices." Abigail Adams and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were women of American's historical past who spoke out against "patriarchal prejudices."
In "Fury," the poet is remembering the act that placed her in a subservient position to man. In this stanza, "her hand is clutching a sheaf of papers. Poems. She gives them up. They burn," is an indication that woman were supposed to act and behave a certain way. The poem represents the voice of the woman. The writing of these poems shows that the poet has a voice and that this voice must be expressed in this male dominated society. The burning of the poems is an indication that women were silent and that they had no voice among men. Abigail Adams sought to give some form of recognition to women. In her letter she stated:
In the new Code of Law, which I suppose, it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or representation. (March 31, 1776)
Here she expresses the point that "unlimited power" should not be entrusted upon the husbands. It is clear that if society continues to allow its patriarchal views to rule, as this stanza indicates, "each hank of her hair is a serpent's obedient wife," then women will forever remain obedient and subservient. Also, as we remember the words of Elizabeth Cady Stanton in her "Declaration of Sentiments" that
1) married women were legally dead in the eyes of the law,
2) women were not allowed to vote
3) women had to submit to laws when they had no voice in there formation
4) Married women had no property rights
5) Husbands had legal power over and responsibility for their wives to the extent that they could imprison or beat them with impunity
6) Divorce and child custody laws favored men, giving no rights to women
7) Women had to pay property taxes although they had no representation in the levying of these taxes
8) Most occupations were closed to women and when women did work they were paid only a fraction of what men earned
9) Women were not allowed to enter professions such as medicine or law
10) Women were robbed of their self-confidence and self-respect, and were made totally dependent on men; we are forced to re-discover the power and beauty in all women. The past has caused women to reflect on their "otherness" and men for so long could not deal with the "otherness" of women and that is why women were marginalized as it was categorized in the words of Ms. Stanton. Robyn R. Warhol and Diane Price Herndl in their book Feminism give a clear definition of "otherness:
"Otherness" is itself almost always a matter of institution definition: insuring homogeneity is often one of the most important tasks of institution. Difference is excluded, overlooked, forced back into conformity with an artificial norm or suppressed. (3)
It is apparent that because of women's "otherness" they were excluded in some form. It too, is apparent with the poet. Her exclusion lies in the burning of the poems. As her hand clutch on to the poems, along with her eyes are animals, is textual evidence that she does not want to release this power. She is furious inasmuch, as she seek to hold on to her voice, she knows that burning these poems relinquishes that right. When the poems are burned the right to speak in her own language is gone. She has thrown away her ability to speak. In our poem, "Fury" this domination and manipulation is so apparent in the burning of the poems and in the text.
"each hank of her hair is a serpent's obedient wife." This obedience to the serpent or to the burning of the poems has placed this poet in subordinate relation to the serpent. "she gives them up" is an indication that inequality between men and women prevailed. Married women were considered a "feme covert" According to the article, "Privileging the Feme Covert: The Sociology of Sentimental Fiction," it stated:
A wife's status as a feme covert effectively rendered her legally invisible. Married women typically lost her property upon marriage. She lost her legal right to make a will or inherit property..... in 1800, by law and by legal precedent a married woman's signature had no weight on legal documents and she had no individual legal identity.
As we remember these things we will understand why "her hand is crying". And as Ms. Clifton stated in "Fury" remember. There is nothing you will not bear for this woman's sake.
We as women have a responsibility to our mothers, daughters and ourselves, we will continue to remember these "patriarchal prejudices" inasmuch, as to expose them so that we as women will continue to heal and rediscovery our own unique "otherness." And as we heal and bear the responsibility to have our voices heard, we share the voice of Mrs. Browning, "Deal with us nobly, women though we be, And honor us with truth if not with Praise."
Works Cited
A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, Fourth Edition, Oxford Press. 1999.
Clifton, Lucille, "Fury", Book of Light.
http://www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html
Moers, Ellen, Literary Women Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City New York, 1976.
Privileging the Feme Covert: The Sociology of Sentimental Fiction. Revolution and the Word: The Rise of the Novel in America. Oxford. New York. 1986.
The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton, Edited by Shari Benstock, Bedford Books, 1994.
The Sound and The Fury, William Faulkner, edited by David Minter, Norton & Company, New York 1994.
The Penguin Dictionary of Literary terms and Literary Theory, Third Edition, J.A. Cuddin, Penguin Book, 1991.
Warhol, Robyn R. and Diane Price Herndl, Feminisms. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey. 1997.
Memoirs from the Graves of Slavery
Judy Wood
Clifton’s poetry is poetry from the soul reaching deep within the African culture. Clifton’s works reflect the essence of humanity in its most complex form. In her works she conveys how peculiar human nature is, and many of her poems are wake up calls to not repeat the same mistakes again. For example, if one has experienced something as horrible as slavery in their past then, why would they freely follow the same path again? The African American’s journey reminds me of the children of Israel coming out Egypt only to enter a wilderness for forty years, and never seeing their promise land.
The poems I chose reflect the African American being freed from the shackles of Egypt only to enter another form of slavery. Both poems I chose speak of the horrors of slavery. The first poem speaks of yesterdays’ slavery, and the second poem I chose is today’s slavery. The poems of yesterdays’ slavery reflect the horrors of working for a white master. The beatings and the abuse African American’s have endured must have been a nightmare. Only an African American would know the shackles, and the harsh labor of a southern plantation. The buried bodies that are buried there, and the horror stories would send a chill up and down your spine.
Today’s slavery also has white masters. The white masters appear as a façade of a "white lady" (Quilting 11). It seems to me the African American community has come out of Egypt only to find another form of slavery which is the drug cocaine. Perhaps that is why I say human behavior is a strange being at times, and its’ complexity is beyond words. The "white lady" that the African American has been deceived by, is as white as cotton. The "white lady" is picking only the fine African Americans and taking them back to the land of slavery. Back again to the southern plantation, but this time choosing their mistress Jezebel who is whiter than snow.
Have you ever walked through a graveyard as a cool wind blew, and could almost hear voices speak from the grave. The African American holds memoirs from the grave both past and present. With tears ready to enter my eyes, yes those memoirs are memoirs crying out from the graves of slavery. Memoirs of yesterday and today’s shackles with Clifton speaking out, "oh white master let my people go!"
Now I will introduce you to the first poem which is about yesterdays’ slavery. The poem is "at the cemetery walnut grove plantation." In the title Clifton uses small capitals to show how the rest of the human race felt about the plantation. A cemetery is a sad place to be, especially a cemetery at a southern plantation. One does not have to guess or imagine the horrors that happened at that southern plantation.
In the first phrase Clifton is describing the graveyard by using the word "rocks" (Quilting, 11). The "rocks" (11) describe the haunting feeling of what is underneath the graves of "walnut grove" (11). A feeling is so eerie it would make one shudder to know the memoirs of the grave of "walnut grove" (11).
In the second phrase the "rocks" become the slaves. The word "slave" is to enlighten one of what is underneath the graves. The word slavery in itself seems to have a longing hold on the African American culture. A phrase that shows the tragedy of the "walnut grove" cemetery is stated here;
and yet the curious tools/
shine with your fingerprints.
nobody mentioned slaves
but somebody did the work. (11)
The word "fingerprints" reminds of Jesus who was nailed to a cross, and had nails pounded in his hands. The toil and sweat they must have endured, and the nail scared hands from abusive the labor.
The third phrase Clifton is stating one would be embarrassed to "tell me you names" (11). Another words can one even speak of your names, but above a whisper. The men’s names being mentioned did not receive to much recognition. Clifton uses the African American term "testify" (11) to convey the story of what happened on the plantation.
The fourth phrase identifies those who died on the plantation. A shy ten were identified, and of course in that era they would have to be men. Was there a reward for these men? Nor, more than likely there was a skimpy list, that perhaps was torn and scribbled on.
The fifth phrase is the longest phrase, and it states those who are not mentioned. Those who were mentioned were slaves, and they were women. Women in that era were not respected like men were. Also, if you were a slave, and a woman you would be respected even less. The memoirs of those who died with honors are dust in the wind, because they are African Americans.
The last phrase the sixth phrase Clifton states, "tell me you dishonored names" (Quilting 12). In this phrase she uses language games and word play, "here lies" (12) receptively. The phrase "here lies" is changed to "hear." This word could mean here are the lies of the evil white masters who abused the African American community for years.
Today’s slavery for the African American community has a different ring to it. It is a slavery of deception and choice. The white powder, that Clifton describes is described as a "white lady" (Quilting 14) that is taking its toll on the African American community.
The second poem I chose has a deceptive tone to it. The name of the poem is "white lady" (14). This title is also written in small capitals showing how the drug cocaine belittles a person. Clifton uses the title "white lady" (14) to describe how the white race is trying to enslave the African community by this evil white drug. Cocaine in itself is a form of slavery to those in the African American community. Also cocaine can lead to drugs and overdose. In the poem "at the cemetery, walnut grove plantation, south carolina, 1989" it mentions the dishonored. In this poem if a person continues to use cocaine they will die a dishonored death.
In the first phrase of the poem Clifton conveys that cocaine does not pertain to one gender. Cocaine is an evil drug, that claims the lives of many African Americans. The word cocaine is also used as a form of slavery. Clifton uses language games and word play to describe "wants" (14), which means to claim or demand.
In the second phrase Clifton uses the word whisper to describe the deceit cocaine holds on many African American lives. Clifton uses language games in the second phrase to convey the deceit of cocaine. This is a phrases that Clifton uses to remarkably describe how cocaine can seduce you;
let me be you lover/
whispers/
run me through you/
fingers. (14)
In the second phrase Clifton is using irony to convey how cocaine has a stronghold on the African American community, that it is in the likeness to a lover. I remember this one lady who happened to be African American told me she divorced her husband, because he was addicted to heroin. The young lady said, "his lover became the drug, and the drug became the other woman."
The third phrase Clifton is speaking about how cocaine claims the lives of many African Americans, and alters their thinking which causes them to wind up in prison. Cocaine is illegal and if one is caught with it one can end up in prison. Cocaine is very marketable, and an illegal way to gain capitalism.
The fourth phrase speaks of the horrors of this drug, and the stronghold it has on many African American families. Once again cocaine alters men and women’s thinking, and makes them do things they would not normally do. For example, my girlfriend had a niece named Stephanie, and she just happened to be a member of the African American community. Stephanie was addicted to cocaine, and never was free from the drug. One night she went out on the streets to get high on cocaine, and Stephanie never returned alive, but became a corpse in the morgue.
In conclusion, slavery holds no generational boundaries. Slavery is the horror of yesterdays memoirs. Slavery is also the evil of today’s deception. In the days of old slavery cames through white masters chaining the African American community, and selling them like cattle. Today’s deception is cocaine which is causing slavery once again. Picking on the African American community, and putting them once again in the yoke of slavery.
Work Cited
Lucille Clifton. Quilting, poems 1987-1990. BOA Editions Ltd. Brockport, New York, 1991.
No Longer Silent: Lucille Clifton Gives Voice to the Voiceless
Rebecca Klein
A prominent theme in the poetry of Lucille Clifton is that of giving voice to groups and individuals whom American culture has historically silenced. In many of her poems, she speaks of her foremothers and the ways they expressed their creativity in a society that gave them few opportunities to do so. In all of these poems, Clifton gives her readers a window into the lives of individuals of whom American culture has historically painted a one-dimensional picture or no picture at all. She also expresses her feeling that it is her responsibility to use her own voice to document past, present, and future through the eyes of those America has wounded and silenced.
In her essay "In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens," Alice Walker talks about how Black women have held onto and expressed their creativity in a country which has abused them beyond comprehension, and how Black female writers of today illustrate that legacy in their work. This is most certainly true of Lucille Clifton. Walker speaks of Black women, "saints" as she calls them, who
dreamed dreams that no one knew-not even themselves, in any coherent fashion-and saw visions no one could understand. They wandered or sat about the countryside crooning lullabies to ghosts…Our mothers and grandmothers, some of them: moving to music not yet written. (2316)
These women have an extremely strong presence in Clifton’s work. Through her poems we see their individuality, and the ways they survived in a society that treated them as inferior in two ways: being both Black and female.
In her poem "slave cabin, sotterly plantation, maryland, 1989" Clifton paints a picture of one of these women, "aunt nanny." In this poem, Clifton describes a bench that belonged to her, and thinks of the long, backbreaking days after which she sat on it. She imagines Aunt Nanny "humming for herself humming / her own sweet human name" (quilting 13), "crooning the lullabies" of Walker’s saints. History, as it is recorded by the dominant American culture, has silenced Aunt Nanny. On the occasions when it mentions her, it lumps her in with millions of other people, calling them "the slaves." The name by which she is called, "Aunt Nanny," itself erases her individuality, being a name that was given to many other older female slaves. Nanny’s cabin and her possessions are "antiques" or "artifacts," symbols not of a woman’s life, but of events the majority of Americans would like to pretend didn’t happen. But through Clifton’s words, Aunt Nanny is remembered as an individual who celebrated her own humanity despite the way the world treated her.
Walker also writes of a magnificent quilt that hangs in the Smithsonian museum (2319). The artist who produced this work is credited only as "an anonymous Black woman." Her anonymity is due probably not to a desire to create an air of mystery around her work, but to the fact that history didn’t care to remember her, and possibly prevented her descendents from knowing her name. This woman, and many others, are present in Clifton’s poem "quilting." A woman says to her daughter "remember/ this will keep us warm"(quilting 3). She speaks not only of the physical warmth the quilt will provide, but also of the comfort and release of artistic expression. She is telling her daughter to remember the value of these things. Like Aunt Nanny’s bench, the quilt in the Smithsonian is a monument not only to times and events, but to people. Clifton’s poetry puts those people at center stage.
In the poem "fury" (BOL 45), the woman at center stage is Clifton’s own mother. In this poem she tells the story of watching her mother throw poems that she had written into the furnace. These poems are her "jewels." She has taken her pain and her rage and the ugliness in her life and used her creativity to turn them into something beautiful: poetry. But unlike quilting or gardening, her chosen outlet for emotion has proven to be too direct. Perhaps her husband could not stand to see his wife’s pain written out in words that jumped up from the page to confront him, so he ordered her to burn them. As she carries out his wish she is violently angry, but "each hank of her hair/is a serpent’s obedient/wife." Since being an "obedient wife" was one of the few roles in which society valued women during Clifton’s childhood, her mother had to burn her poems, to silence her voice, and the poem says "she will never recover." That seems to predict a bleak future, but hope lies in the last three lines.
remember. there is nothing
you will not bear
for this woman’s sake.
Clifton vows to do anything she can for her mother. Although her mother will never recover from having her voiced silenced, Clifton bears the responsibility to use her voice in the way that her mother, and countless women before her, could not use theirs, so that their stories will not remain buried forever.
The poem "at the cemetery, walnut grove plantation, south carolina, 1989" (quilting 11) is addressed to a group of people whose stories and bodies are buried, without even a gravestone bearing their names. These are the people who worked their entire lives to build this plantation, to build this country. The people who owned them, who kept them in chains and beat them, rest under gravestones. These abused people whose backbreaking labor was the only thing keeping the plantation owners in the lifestyle they desired are not recognized even in death. They are denied the dignity of a simple stone marking their final resting-place. And again, the least value is placed on the women, shown in the line "the inventory lists ten slaves/ but only men were recognized." Clifton calls to these people to tell her their "dishonored names" so that she may finally give them the recognition they deserve. The end of the poem
here lies
here lies
here lies
here lies
hear
calls to the reader and to the world to recognize the lies that have been told for centuries, and to open their ears to the names and stories of the people who have been silenced.
This is one of the most important aspects of Clifton’s writing. She calls people to read between the lines of history, to look for the stories we have been prevented from hearing. "Aunt Nanny," the artist of the` quilt, Clifton’s mother, the slaves buried at Walnut Grove Plantation…they are some of the most remarkable people in American history, but for years we have been taught that they have no place, that their stories are not important. As Walker says, these women "moved to music not yet written" (2316). In her poetry, Clifton writes that music. She and other writers like her bring these remarkable people to light, portraying their humanity and individuality in a way which allows the reader to find a point of connection with them, and therefore adding a richness to American history that it is sorely lacking.
This essay was a prize-winner in the Amy S. McCombs/Frederick P. Currier Writing Contest in April 2000.
Eve: The Dawn of a New Day
Carmel M. Jones
Eve, meaning "Living One"
Eve /eev/ n. 1. The evening or day before a church festival or any day or time before an event. 2. The time just before anything.
Eve. According to most biblical texts, she is the first woman and the last of God’s reported earthly creations. She is recognized as the wife of Adam and the mother of all human civilization. Eve. She is more commonly known to many as the weak, disobedient, disrespectful wife of Adam.
When many speak of Eve they often recall the biblical story of how she was deceived by the lowly serpent, the fallen Angel- Lucifer, to eat of the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad that rested in the Garden of Eden. It is often said that the serpent deceived her into believing that if she ate of this tree she would be like God. Completely deceived by the serpent and with a strong desire for prospects tied to eating the fruit, Eve became a transgressor of God’s law. She approached her husband and indulged him to join in disobedience to God. By violating this law, Adam and Eve and their offspring, were condemned to live a life of pain, suffering and death.
Eve brought pain upon all mankind. Eve brought suffering upon all mankind. Eve, due to her own selfishness, her lack of faith in God, her utmost disrespect for his law and wishes, brought death upon humankind. One must remember that this description comes from the book of Genesis in the Bible, a book written by men.
In her poetry, Lucille Clifton discusses the fall. Yet, unlike many before her, Clifton presents the story in a different light. Whereas, the Bible presents the story of "the fall" from a masculine perspective, Clifton approaches it with a feminist eye.
In her book, Quilting: Poems 1987-1990, the section titled "Tree of Life," Clifton writes of the fall of Adam, Eve and Lucifer. Within the poems "eves version", "adam thinking", and "the story thus far", Clifton presents to the reader- Lucifer, the fallen angel, who is not evil, but fair and just in his actions; Adam, a weak, voiceless, powerless, emasculated creature and; Eve, a strong intelligent, confident, radiant woman who leads future generations of humankind out of darkness, innocence and ignorance.
The Book of Life
In "eves version" the readers are able go within Eve’s thoughts and hear her version of how "the fall" came about. One should note the language Clifton uses in describing Eve’s version of the events. Many works describe the story of the fall by saying that Lucifer deceived Eve. Yet, the language Clifton uses in the poem "eve’s version" presents a different picture. She uses words like "smooth", "snug", "slide", "sleek" and "sweet"- all words that usually connote something good, pleasurable, welcome and belonging. One can only believe that within this version of "the fall", there was no form of deceit, only a welcomed pleasure that had never been felt before.
Eve begins by stating that a "smooth talker" came to her in her dreams and filled them with the thought of apples. The "smooth talker" is Lucifer. He "slides" into her dreams. He moves into her dreams, smoothly. He does not fumble; his course is peaceful, graceful, undisturbed and unrestricted. It is almost as if he is welcomed. He does not have to force his way in. Once he is in her dreams, she does not ask him to leave.
Eve is very aware of his presence in her dreams. She even gives him a name. She calls him a "smooth talker". According to Eve’s version of the fall, Lucifer does not make her any promises. He tells her no lies. He simply fills her dreams with apples.
The apple is as "snug" as her "breast. The apple is cozy and comfortable. It is well arranged and well placed, to the point that is as natural as her very own maternal, nurturing breast. It fits completely, like a piece to a puzzle. It belongs with her, it belongs in her.
The apple is also called "sleek" and "sweet". It is not only physically appealing to her, but it also brings pleasure to her sense of taste. The apple is not bland, bitter, nor is it sour, it is "sweet". Furthermore, the apple is "bright" in her mouth. The apple is not physically bright, but bright in terms of enlightenment. Knowledge is so close to her that it is in her mouth and it is meant to be there. No one put it there, it was the want, and the need to attain knowledge- it was always there.
The poem concludes with the following lines:
it is your own lush self
you hunger for
he whispers lucifer (74)
Once her dreams have been filled with apples, Eve is informed that it is not the apple that she is longing for. It is her "own lush self". It is she who is "sleek", "sweet" and "bright". Once she has eaten of the apple, she will gain knowledge of herself, her world and others, that she never imagined possible.
Clifton concludes the poem with two words- "honey tongue." For the entire poem Eve has been describing the apple. Finally, by the end of the poem Eve is referred to as a or having a "honey tongue" by Lucifer or herself. The two words concluding the poem are very simple yet, extremely important. Eve’s physical tongue tastes and feels the apple. However, the "honey tongue" is also a reference to the idea of language. Many Christians believe the "tongue" is the ability or the power to speak in unknown languages.
The reader learns shortly that of the couple, Eve is the only one who has the ability to speak. Adam, who is always thought of as being the stronger of the two, remains mute. This is just one way that Clifton presents Eve as a strong woman. She has the power to make choices. She has a new found awareness of herself and others around her. She also has a voice. She has the power to speak. Her voice can be heard. Her voice can be felt.
According to the version that Clifton presents, the serpent did not deceive Eve to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. He may have slid into her dreams and filled them with apples, but it is she Eve who noted that the apples were a part of her and belonged with her. It is she, Eve, who took it upon herself to take a bite of the apple, no one forced her to do anything. Eve decided to fulfill her hunger, her need to know. The hunger for her "own lush self" had to be filled and she fulfilled her need.
After Eve had eaten of the apple, the reader is introduced to Adam. In the poem "adam thinking" the reader meets Adam who seems to be powerless in comparison to his wife, Eve. Whereas Eve is able to act on her own behalf and make decisions for herself, Adam can do absolutely nothing.
In his thoughts, Adam admits that he is disconnected and dismembered. It is because of Eve that he is no longer whole. He notes that a bone "stolen" from him created her. In other words, he was violated in order for her to be created. He had no control over her creation, just as he had no control over her choice to eat of the forbidden fruit. He was unable to persuade her not to eat of the fruit and is too weak himself to resist. He is completely ineffective.
He longs to be whole again, to "reconnect the rib and clay" that would complete him. He says that he "hungers to tunnel back inside".
This statement may take on several meanings. One possible reading is that Adam wishes to "tunnel back inside" within Eve, a sexual connotation. In other words, Adam wishes to consummate their relationship and himself. Up to this point, the reader will note that the relationship that Adam and Eve have is not complete. They are not equals or equally respected. Eve constantly refers to Adam as a "clay two foot", "clay", she even says that he is "slow". She does not call Adam her husband nor does he call her his wife.
By "tunneling back inside" Adam would be within Eve. Their relationship would be consummated- complete. He would then be, hopefully, one with Eve. They would be as one, a unity. He would then be complete.
Adam could also be referring to the maternal womb from the above lines. Adam goes on to say that he would "rather have been born." He may long for security, protection and nurturing. It seems from these two lines that Adam longs to return to the womb, where it is quiet, dark and safe from all of the activity in the garden and safe from Eve.
Yet, he is unable to do anything. He is impotent and incompetent in all of his efforts. He cannot reconnect himself, tunnel back into the womb or within Eve, nor can he speak:
some need is in me
struggling to rear through my
mouth into a name (77)
Clifton denies Adam a voice. He is unable to make any sound, although there is a burning need for him to do so. He is denied the opportunity to name. Bible texts will note that it was Adam who was given the job of naming all of the earthly creatures, but one creature, the only creature that came from him, he cannot name.
This is very important. Naming and/or giving name to something is a sign of ownership. It is in a sense, placing a mark upon something, stating that it belongs to someone. However, Eve is too "fierce", she is too strong. She silences him.
In the poem following "adam thinking", Clifton presents "eve thinking". In this poem, the reader learns it is Eve who has the power to speak. Eve notes that Adam, referred to as the "clay two-foot" is having difficulty searching for language. She gives him the power to speak. It is Eve who places words in his mouth. She says that she "will whisper into his mouth/our names (78)".
Not only does she provide him a voice where he lacks one; she names him and herself. In doing so, she has "marked" Adam as her own. She has places a form of ownership on Adam. In addition, she has named herself, placing ownership on her own self. She names herself "Eve"- the time just before anything.
Finally, in the poem titled "the story thus far" the reader sees Eve in all of her glory:
so they went out
clay and morning star
following the bright back
of the woman (79)
She is not only leading Adam, but Lucifer - leading them out of the Garden of Eden. The two obediently follow her "bright back". It is Eve who possess the strength, the wisdom and the courage to lead the two into:
. . . the unborn world
before her like a cloud
and everywhere seemed light (79)
Eve leads Adam and Lucifer out of the wild garden, into a New World, which for now seems safe and without the chaos that existed in Eden. Not only does she lead them out of the garden; she has given birth to a New World. It is Eve, who in her lust of knowledge, her burning desire to know- ate of the fruit that provided knowledge of good and bad. She provided everyone with the ability to see the "light", to gain knowledge of the world in all ways, through all forms- good and bad.
Much like Eve, Lucille Clifton has provided the world with a "light". She has provided the world with a new vision and a new version of a story that is at the heart of our culture. For thousands of years, the story of the fall has been told, only from a masculine point of view. Clifton, with her light has made it possible to see that there are always two sides to every story.
Work Cited
Clifton, Lucille. Quilting: poems 1987-1990. Rochester: BOA. 1991. 74, 77-80.
A Critical Analysis Essay:
The Use of Imagery in Lucille Clifton’s Poems
Kathryn Dew
Lucille Clifton’s use of imagery is wonderfully effective. Clifton incorporates figures of speech, i.e., similes, metaphors, and personification that allow her readers to mentally visualize and enjoy her poetry. I have found at least three poems that allow me to not only visualize what Clifton expresses, but I can relate to each of these events in each poem. I will apply the reader response approach to discuss each poem.
From the book Quilting, "poem in praise of menstruation" to me was displeasing. I felt offended that Clifton wrote about menstruation as being "beautiful," "faithful," and to glorify menstruation. As a woman, I know the pains of menstruation and I do not feel the need to "praise" this curse. However, Clifton’s attitude toward menstruation is tremendously different.
I decided to read the poem carefully without a closed mind, and shut out my negative feelings toward the poet’s opinion. I wanted to see what Clifton’s intentions were for the reader. I noticed a simile in the beginning of "poem in praise of menstruation." "Bright as the blood\ red edge of the moon" (2-3). I was drawn to the color of blood, by Clifton’s choice of words. I thought about how Clifton metaphorically associates women with the moon. For example, in Italian the moon is known as Luna. An old wives tale implies that a woman should only cut her hair on a growing moon, i.e., the moons phases. Therefore, a woman’s hair will grow with the moon.
Strikingly, I found that Clifton begins the first four stanzas with, "if there is a river" (1-13). Also, within these four stanzas the words "more beautiful, more faithful, more braver, and more ancient" are added after the word "river." Why? To the reader, Clifton sets a steady flow, but toward the end of the poem this steady flow is interrupted by "if there is in…if there is some" (16-18).
The two words that have been cleverly added are universe, and water. In line 21, Clifton completely shifts from "if there is" to "pray that it flows through." It seems that Clifton ends the poem with "pray," allowing it to revert to the title, "poem in praise of menstruation." The reader focuses on the returning words "beautiful, faithful, braver, and ancient." I believe that Clifton has intended for the poem to circularize.
Throughout this poem, Clifton incorporates gaps between each stanza. The gaps entice the reader to speculate what the poet insinuates, so they can fill in those gaps. These gaps also influence the meter of the poem, to make the read become more contemplative. It anticipates the next verse while considering the last stanza.
In Quilting, Clifton applies metaphors to "poem to my uterus." Clifton compares a "sock," and a "stocking" to Clifton’s uterus. On my first reading of this poem, I found it to be self-explanatory. I can relate to Clifton’s hurt and anguish, to lose a part of her womanhood. A loved one in my family, whom I love dearly, underwent a hysterectomy.
In "poem to my uterus," Clifton expresses that once the doctor removes the uterus, the doctor takes everything. The uterus produces estrogen. Basically, ovarian hormones are important for the maintenance of the lining of the uterus.
Clifton personifies her uterus by giving it human qualities. Clifton’s uterus has been "patient" (2); she calls it "old girl" (11), and "my black bag of desire" (16). Clifton also conveys that she has "slippered" life and death into her uterus through pregnancy. In "poem to my uterus," the poem can relate to anyone who has lost a part of their body, male or female. However, this poem is dedicated to the loss of a uterus or womanhood. Men as well can have a loss of manhood, such as testicular cancer.
The poem "4/25/89 late" from Quilting is about Clifton’s diagnosis of cancer on April 25, 1984, written five years later. Clifton cannot forget her diagnosis with cancer.
Clifton uses hyperbole in the line "the time will have jerked back" (2). This statement is boldly exaggerated that literally cannot be true. This phrase enhances the poem. Time cannot "jerk back," but to someone going through a devastating ordeal one’s memory can make it seem this way. However, for Clifton she has a vivid memory of the diagnosis.
This is a very serious poem. Clifton has created a beautiful poem, from a traumatic experience to share with her readers. If one has gone through cancer, they know the trauma and uncertainty of what is to be of their health in the future. Clifton adds that she went through chemotherapy, "wearing that knit green cap" (7). After line 7, Clifton adds "we laughed about" (8), it suggests that a close friend or relative has gone through this experience with Clifton.
Another figure of speech that Clifton uses is irony. Irony is a situation that reveals a reality different from what appears to be true. The entire poem is ironic. Clifton uses imagery that makes the reader imagine that Clifton is running to keep in shape and transgresses to an image of her meeting her physician to which she calls "stethoscopic group" (13). To punctuate the irony Clifton ends the poem with a bleak prognosis.
The elements of my background that fund this reading are minimal, but come from taking many college English and literature courses. Each English course I have taken over the years, have demanded or influenced me to critically analyze a poem, short story, essay, or novel.
Applying the reader response approach to these three poems is truly a need to understand how this critical approach works. Reader response allows me to write and see how I read the text.
To read Lucille Clifton’s poems is easy, but to clearly understand and interpret her poems is difficult. Most of Clifton’s poems present more than just one meaning. Just one poem requires multi-readings and intensive research of her background. Honestly, Clifton is not one of my favorite poets, however she is bold and direct.
I chose to write about the imagery in "poem in praise of menstruation," "poem to my uterus," and "4/25/89 late" because these poems spoke to me. I have a loved one who has gone through a hysterectomy and breast cancer. Without the use of imagery, these poems would be extremely dull. These three poems reveal the emotions of life with the use of similes, metaphors, irony, and personification. I enjoyed researching Clifton’s imagery. Each time that I read a poem, I found something new. Clifton is clever at provoking thoughts for the reader. What is more powerful is seeking the real meaning that underlie in the text.
Work Cited
Clifton, Lucille. Quilting. BOA Editions: New York, 1991.
The Gospel According to Lucifer:
Looking at the Lucifer Poems in the Book of Quilting
John M. Gruda
