The Essence of Our Being

The Essence of Our Being

  • Submitted By: agraham
  • Date Submitted: 09/30/2008 5:40 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1488
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 1

The Essence of Our Being
When struggles happen in ones life, one must try to make the best of things. Focus on the good that is happening at the time, and do something to positive to make a change for the better. To do this one must have power. What is power? Power is a position of ascendancy over others: Authority, one that has control or authority. That is exactly what the three poets have that will be discussed. Each of these women took control over their lives. Each of them has power. They have revealed this control in different ways. The events, struggles and the accomplishments of these three poets’ lives are the essence of their works of art that has given them the power to overcome racial diversity.
Lucille Clifton “Homage to My Hips,” To understand “Homage to My Hips,” one must know the meaning of the word homage. Homage means “expression of high regards.” (MWD) So, why is Clifton giving high regards to her hips? She is saying that her hips are what carried and is still carrying her through society and all the adversity that goes with it. This is where the sentence; “they go where they want to go,” (Clifton, Hips 9). Through her adversities, she found poetry, which was a way of expressing herself. This is the power or control that she has over her life. She is able to take her life’s struggles and her memories of these struggles and the good times in her life and turn them into works of art. She is able to express to the world through vivid imagery of what it was like to be in the world at this particular time and how her experiences is reflected in her artistry. Her hips in her mind are something no one can take away from her. No one can tell her what to do with he hips. She was free to do, as she wanted. Clifton believed that her hips did not need to go to insignificant places or places that were not important. Clifton refers to her hips as “mighty hips,” (Hips 11) this is an example of the power that she has. Another example...

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