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Description
Mind Map by Joseph Gianotti, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Joseph Gianotti
over 3 years ago
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“The Thirty-eighth Year” by Lucille
Clifton
- Author Background
- Lucille Clifton, b. 1936, DePew,
NY; d. 2010.
- She grew up in
Buffalo, New York.
- Her poetry was discovered by
Langston Hughes.
- In 2007, she won the Lilly
Poetry Prize.
- She wrote many books of
poetry, as well as children’s
books.
- Served as Poet Laureate for
the state of Maryland.
- Served as Poet Laureate for
the state of Maryland.
- She wrote many books of
poetry, as well as children’s
books.
- In 2007, she won the Lilly
Poetry Prize.
- She grew up in
Buffalo, New York.
- Lucille Clifton, b. 1936, DePew,
NY; d. 2010.
- Poem Themes
- Connection to the Past
- There is a parallel made between
the poet at the age of 38 and her
mother, who died at the age of
44.
- Clifton offers this poem as a
meditation on her mother’s
life and her own life.
- Clifton talks about trying to live
out dreams for her mother, who
died too young.
- Clifton is approaching 40, and
soon after that 44. So, she is
feeling the impending burden of
living past the age her mother
died at.
- Clifton is approaching 40, and
soon after that 44. So, she is
feeling the impending burden of
living past the age her mother
died at.
- Clifton offers this poem as a
meditation on her mother’s
life and her own life.
- There is a parallel made between
the poet at the age of 38 and her
mother, who died at the age of
44.
- Ordinariness
- Clifton doesn’t capitalize the
word I (it is always written
like this: i)
- Example: “i had expected
more than this”; This
emphasizes how ordinary a
woman she is at this age.
- Ordinariness isn’t necessarily
a bad thing for Clifton.
- However, she talks about
expecting more for herself.
- This is perhaps in connection
with her mother. Clifton
expected to live up to more
than what her mother was
able to in life.
- This is perhaps in connection
with her mother. Clifton
expected to live up to more
than what her mother was
able to in life.
- However, she talks about
expecting more for herself.
- Ordinariness isn’t necessarily
a bad thing for Clifton.
- Example: “i had expected
more than this”; This
emphasizes how ordinary a
woman she is at this age.
- Clifton doesn’t capitalize the
word I (it is always written
like this: i)
- Connection to the Past
- Poem Analysis
- Structure
- Irregular
stanzas
- No rhyming
- Free-verse
- Structured w/o
capitalization
except for 2
words: Afrikan
& European.
- Also, poem
ends without
punctuation.
- Clifton leaves the
poem open-ended.
What will the rest
of her life look like
after the
thirty-eighth year?
- Clifton leaves the
poem open-ended.
What will the rest
of her life look like
after the
thirty-eighth year?
- Also, poem
ends without
punctuation.
- Structured w/o
capitalization
except for 2
words: Afrikan
& European.
- Free-verse
- No rhyming
- Irregular
stanzas
- Perspective
- This poem is
written from the
poet’s perspective.
- She is looking back
at her own life at the
age of 38.
- She is looking back
at her own life at the
age of 38.
- This poem is
written from the
poet’s perspective.
- Poetic Devices
- Imagery
- “a woman of sad
countenance”
- “and they blossom
and promise fruit”
- “the shining dark”
- “the shining dark”
- “and they blossom
and promise fruit”
- “a woman of sad
countenance”
- Metaphor
- “her hair was a jungle”
- “i have wrapped me
in your skin”
- Clifton has attempted
to adopt characteristics
she relates to her
mother. It’s almost like
Clifton wears her
mother’s persona/life
for a while.
- “the bones you
hardened and built
daughters”
- Clifton’s mother made
her strong and that is
how she was able to
“build” or “raise” strong
daughters.
- Clifton’s mother made
her strong and that is
how she was able to
“build” or “raise” strong
daughters.
- “the bones you
hardened and built
daughters”
- Clifton has attempted
to adopt characteristics
she relates to her
mother. It’s almost like
Clifton wears her
mother’s persona/life
for a while.
- “i have wrapped me
in your skin”
- “her hair was a jungle”
- Alliteration
- “a perfect picture of
/ blackness blessed”
- This use of alliteration
sounds kind of
quaint. Clifton is
emphasizing how
great her life is when
others see it.
- This use of alliteration
sounds kind of
quaint. Clifton is
emphasizing how
great her life is when
others see it.
- “a perfect picture of
/ blackness blessed”
- Unusual Capitalization
- Only Afrikan and Europe
are properly capitalized.
- Even the word “I” is
always lowercase in this
poem.
- Even the word “I” is
always lowercase in this
poem.
- Only Afrikan and Europe
are properly capitalized.
- Simile
- “plain as bread” and
“round as a cake”
- Images used to compare
the poet to very ordinary
items. Clifton likes to use
food/cooking imagery
when talking about
women.
- “Awkward as a stork”
- Clifton compares herself to
a stork at the time of her
mother’s passing. This
gives the reader the image
of Clifton as young and not
yet grown into herself or
her body at the age of 22.
- “and they blossom and
promise fruit / like Afrikan
trees.”
- Clifton’s daughters are
growing into strong women
with lots of potential. The
connection to Afrikan trees
perhaps relates Clifton’s
daughters more closely with
Afrikan ways than Clifton
finds herself.
- “a perfect picture of /
blackness blessed”
- “a perfect picture of /
blackness blessed”
- Clifton’s daughters are
growing into strong women
with lots of potential. The
connection to Afrikan trees
perhaps relates Clifton’s
daughters more closely with
Afrikan ways than Clifton
finds herself.
- “and they blossom and
promise fruit / like Afrikan
trees.”
- Clifton compares herself to
a stork at the time of her
mother’s passing. This
gives the reader the image
of Clifton as young and not
yet grown into herself or
her body at the age of 22.
- “Awkward as a stork”
- Images used to compare
the poet to very ordinary
items. Clifton likes to use
food/cooking imagery
when talking about
women.
- “plain as bread” and
“round as a cake”
- Homphone
- Clifton writes “whole
and holy.” Wholly and
holy are homophones
(two words that sound
the same but mean
different things).
- Clifton writes “whole
and holy.” Wholly and
holy are homophones
(two words that sound
the same but mean
different things).
- Imagery
- Structure
- Poem Breakdown
- Poem Background
- Published in 1974 in the
volume "An Ordinary Woman".
- She said in an interview when
asked how she would like to be
remembered: “I would like to
be seen as a woman whose
roots go back to Africa, who
tried to honor being human.
My inclination is to try to help.”
- Her work was heavily influenced
by the Black Arts Movement in
the 1960s and 1970s.
- Clifton’s mother suffered from
a type of epilepsy. Clifton
helped take care of her mother
before she died.
- Her work was heavily influenced
by the Black Arts Movement in
the 1960s and 1970s.
- She said in an interview when
asked how she would like to be
remembered: “I would like to
be seen as a woman whose
roots go back to Africa, who
tried to honor being human.
My inclination is to try to help.”
- Published in 1974 in the
volume "An Ordinary Woman".
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