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"They call me Benjamin Franklin cause I keep it a hunnid"

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By dividing her lines in places that seem precarious, Clifton emphasizes the twists and turns that navigating trials has brought her way through life, but if you notice, the beginning of the next line often represents moments that showcase her resilience and light. For example, after saying here on the bridge between, the next line begins with "Starshine and clay"; again when she says, "my one hand holding tight" with the next line being an affirming image of "my other hand; come celebrate" and once more when the line mentions "something has tried to kill me", followed by "and has failed". This cadence of a back and forth emphasizes the struggle she faced but then how she overcame them around every corner, sometimes unexpectedly (possibly having been underestimated). The impact of the reader is that you feel on edge for what might come next, and with each line are often confronted with what becomes a portrait of strength, inner peace (celebration) and resilience.

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Lucille cleverly adds allusions to traditionally white patriarchal references such as the Bible and John Keats, who died young and described life as being “betwixt damnation and impassion’d clay” in “On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again.”  This reference hints at Lucille's fluency in canonical works of literature and poetry, showcasing her ability to transcend assimilation culture and use words from the dominant culture within her own expression of life as a journey, but on her own terms. She provides a knowledge bomb easter egg that she twists to read as "starshine" as opposed to "damnation," elevating her to a position that looks forward to heaven as oppose to fearing hell, presumably because she has already been through it here on earth. The poem she alludes to also ends with a theme similar to what she expresses as rising from her tribulations comparable to the Phoenix described by keats:

When through the old oak forest I am gone,

Let me not wander in a barren dream,

But when I am consumed in the fire,

Give me new Phoenix wings to fly at my desire.

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Often rhyming brings a tone of harmony and predictability, and this poem emphasizes moreso the challenges overcome by Lucille on her journey through life. This structure or free verse lends itself to the theme that she had no model to look to, and without always having guidance she made her own way (i made it up) which probably wasn't always easy, harmonious, or predictable. It also intentionally deviates from classical white patriarchal literature that often adhered to conventions of poetry such as rhyme scheme and meter.

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Babylon is used here to provide an allusion to the Bible; it was the city whose king attempted to build a tower to heaven. God caused the workers to speak different languages so they'd not be able to cooperate anymore in continuing to build the structure. This biblical conflict echoes Lucille's take on the world today, and how even now we all do not cooperate based on differences in language, ethnicity, or gender.

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By using labels both "nonwhite", and "woman", Lucille acknowledges that she has a double strike of stigma against her within the perceptions of the dominant culture. This relates to the purpose of the poem because it calls on the reader to consider what they know about being nonwhite and woman, and realize that there are more barriers to thriving in our society for her, such as who she is able to look to as a role model or even facing daily threats to her life. This also serves to make more clear the relevance of her need to rely on herself and hold her own hand through each day she has survived the threats of a white patriarchal society.

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This phrasing sounds like the labels that society has placed on Lucille Clifton. She uses the language of others (nonwhite) to emphasize the impact labels have on anyone who does not identify as white or a man in our society (babylon), and to show how they have been central to her outward facing identity in the midst of facing stigma being divergent from the dominant culture.

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Explain why the main meaning and/or effects of this poem will be valuable and have an impact on your community. 

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Explain why the main meaning and/or effects of this poem will be valuable and have an impact on your community. 

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This poem could bring a message to my community that despite the challenges one might face day to day, resilience and persistence can enable you to prevail. The best success is living your life on your terms regardless of not having a role model or your very existence being threatened. Someone who reads this might expect to find strength within themselves to defy any odds that are stacked against them, and to celebrate the successes the come from being resilient and self-reliant.

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Consider how these words relate to the context or medium of the poem.

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Consider how these words relate to the context or medium of the poem.

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Explain how these words/phrases have an overall impact on the meaning and tone of the poem.

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Explain how these words/phrases have an overall impact on the meaning and tone of the poem.

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Identify and explain the multiple meanings of the most powerful words and phrases.

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Identify and explain the multiple meanings of the most powerful words and phrases.

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Explain how the structure adds to the meaning of the poem.

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Explain how the structure adds to the meaning of the poem.

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Explain what effect these choices have on the reader.

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Explain what effect these choices have on the reader.

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Identify the key author’s choices in how to structure or organize the poem. 

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Identify the key author’s choices in how to structure or organize the poem. 

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won't you celebrate with me

what i have shaped into

a kind of life? i had no model.

born in babylon

both nonwhite and woman

what did i see to be except myself?

i made it up

here on this bridge between

starshine and clay,

my one hand holding tight

my other hand; come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

- Lucille Clifton