Poem for Black Boys

Poem for Black Boys
CC: http://www.aaregistry.org/poetry/view/poem-black-boys-nikki-giovanni 

Giovanni writes about her perception of the African-American boy to highlight their lives as a game and a revolution. She includes colors like White, Brown and Black to describe the dynamic of how the world perceives each character. White in this case symbolizes superior, brown symbolizes neutral and black symbolizes inferior. Giovanni says, "Where ar your heroes, my little Black ones, You are the Indian you so disdainfully shoot". Giovanni desribes the game of Cowboys and Indians. Since the Balck Boys are playing the game of Cowboys and Indians and playing hte Indian, you are playing Black on Black crime. Giovanni also uses the motif of leaders that the Black boys should follow and protect. Giovanni uses mother to symbolize the provider and the matriarch of their children. Giovanni also uses the mother in Poem for Black Boys because as it is their job to protect their son, it is also important to teach them how to treat others. In contrast, the job of the son is to defend and shelter their mothers. Giovanni also uses Santa to provide the reader with always wishing for a supply of things by a surreal figure, but their mother is the one who will work hard to buy them a gift. The last leader provided through the poem is the Lying Leader. Giovanni uses the Lying Leader because in the life of a Black Boy, there is always a liar trying to hinder them from success . She most importantly shows sarcasm and is trying to say that sociey wants you to not sit in the sit ins, burn and destroy your community and not support the positive leaders and instead whats you to support the Lying Leader. She positivily says that you must follow the real leaders like Martin Luther King. Giovanni uses slave games to capture the essence of Black Boys’ lives. The essence of their lives is since birth, they were treated as such to play run-away-slave or Mau Mau. The reason was playing run-away-slave and Mau Mau means their lives will end in defeat because these are the games of unpredictable and lucky card games and being hunted by the slave master. The only game they can win is Ask for CULLARD instead if Monopoly. This suggests that Black Boys can’t win Monopoly which is a game of having money and wealth, but instead can win asking for hand-outs. The importance of Poem for Black Boys is to highlight her hatred for the stereotype of Black Boys. Another importance was to teach Black boys how to be men and to have self-acceptance from the society.