No Reservations

No Reservations
CC: http://books.google.com/books?id=e9tpFY2cmCAC&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=no+reservations+nikki+giovanni&source=bl&ots=r-sURERpJk&sig=pfuQZJRiL8amEG0FtqnAiRIGcs4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZwDnUM7fOYaw8ATMioCABA&ved=0CFkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=no%20reservations%20nikki%20giovanni&f=false

Giovanni introduces the allusions of war/ fighting words, colors and instruments to discuss that there are no reservations or celebrations for the revolution. As the reader, one assumes that the speaker is Giovanni. She opens with, “there are no reservations for the revolution”. Giovanni suggest that there isn’t a place fit for war. She then says, “No polite little clerk, to send notice, to your room, saying you are WANTED on the battlefield.” Giovanni creates the allusion of war and one actually being on the battle field. She capitalizes the word WANTED to ensure the reader that there aren’t nice people in war or people to look after each other in war. Wanted means one being searched for, hunted or sought after. She also capitalizes the word WANTED to tell the reader to watch or look after yourself in war because in war there is, “every man for themselves”. Giovanni then says, “There are no banners, to wave you forward, no blaring trumpets, not even a blues’ note moaning wailing lone blue not to the Yoruba drums saying, strike nowshoot, strike nowfire, strike nowrun.” She creates the allusion of war by using the motifs of instruments in a parade or band. Giovanni suggest that in war, there is a parade to play in honor of the war. In this case, there isn’t a celebration for war. She also creates the allusion of a parade by the motif of instruments. The instruments like trumpets and drums mean that there aren’t instruments to play to uplift one in war. Giovanni also creates the tone of gloom by the motifs of colors. The color blue is used to create the tone of gloom and despair and to reflect that in war, there aren’t sad notes played. Giovanni ends the stanza with a repetition of strike now, but ending the phrase with war-like and destructive words like, shoot, fire and run. The speaker says this phrase with a pause in between each war-like word to reflect upon the war signals and actions in the revolution. She also creates imagery to highlight the impact of want war creates. The importance of this poem was to reflect that in the war and revolutions in history, there are usually parades and celebrations to applaud for killing a civilization. In this case, in the poem she suggest that there aren’t celebrations and initiations for war, but there is a reservation for peace and freedom.