A Study Guide for Nikki Giovanni's "Ego-Tripping"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Nikki Giovanni's "Ego-Tripping," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Poetry for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Poetry for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Sep 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535822459

Book preview

Ego-Tripping

Nikki Giovanni

1972

Introduction

The poem Ego-Tripping, written by Nikki Giovanni, was first published in 1972 in a collection of poetry titled My House. Best known under this shortened title, the poem's full title is actually Ego-Tripping (there may be a reason why). The poem is also included in a children's book of poetry, titled Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People, which was published the following year. This latter book includes illustrations by George Ford that offer positive images for children that reflect a feeling of black pride. The illustrations and words advocate strength and power; whatever can be imagined is possible. Giovanni eschews periods, commas, and other forms of punctuation. There are no pauses or places for the reader to stop and catch a breath. The title, Ego-Tripping, suggests an ego so large that the author is tripping over it, but that is not the poem's purpose. Giovanni's first trip to Africa was in 1972, the year of the publication of this poem. Many of the great ancient African civilizations, the Egyptians, the Carthagians, and the Ethiopians, contributed to the greatness of Greek, Roman, and Norman life, and in these civilizations, much of modern life finds its origins. Giovanni aligns herself with these beginnings and the possibilities they offer in Ego-Tripping, as she celebrates being black and female. Her style is both original and individualistic and is accessible to all levels of readers. Giovanni's love for Ego-Tripping, is evident, since she has recorded it on at least two compact disks, placed an audio file of her reading it on her website, and included it in at least three of her poetry collections, the two collections noted above and The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni, published in 1996.

Author Biography

Born Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni on June 7, 1943, Nikki Giovanni grew up in Lincoln Heights, a predominately black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Growing up, she frequently visited Knoxville, Tennessee, the city of her birth and the home of her grandparents. When she was fourteen, she moved back to Knoxville to live with her maternal grandparents. Giovanni enrolled at Fisk University after her junior year at Austin High School, under an early admission policy, but was expelled at the end of her first semester