Once you have figured out the poem, connect this poem to Waiting for Godot. What are they saying that is the same? Explain your analysis using evidence from both texts.
Dreams by Nikki Giovanni
i used to dream militant
i used to dream militant
dreams of taking
over america to show
these white folks how it should be
these white folks how it should be
done
i used to dream radical dream
of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers
of correct analysis
of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers
of correct analysis
i even used to think i'd be the one
to stop the riot and negotiate the peace
to stop the riot and negotiate the peace
then i awoke and dug
that if i dreamed natural
dreams of being a natural
woman doing what a woman
does when she is natural
i would have a revolution.
dreams of being a natural
woman doing what a woman
does when she is natural
i would have a revolution.
Nikki Giovanni’s Poem, “Dreams” is a piece that comments on the inequalities and restrictions in our everyday world. Giovanni begins with speaking about the narrator's childhood, and the fact that she had naive thoughts of being powerful and making a difference in the world at that age: “I used to dream radical dreams of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers of correct analysis” (Giovanni). She is commenting on the fact that as a young child, one often has unrealistic views and thoughts of how their future will unfold. As the narrator grew older, however, she “awoke” from those views and realized that she is only one black woman; people did not believe that she could accomplish the things she previously promised, including herself. She comments on the fact that because she is a black woman, individuals do not believe that she can accomplish what she wants to accomplish. In conclusion to that statement, if the narrator were to accomplish those things she dreamed about, it would truly be a revolution. Giovanni states, “if i dreamed natural dreams of being a natural woman doing what a woman does when she is natural i would have a revolution.” Giovanni's narrator simply being intellectual would be a surprise for some people, let alone accomplishing things such as “taking over America.” She would be able to start a revolution not only for people to notice, but also a revolution within herself. I believe that she is commenting on the fact that one must first revolutionize themselves before they can revolutionize others.
ReplyDeleteIn connection to Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, I believe that characters Estragon and Vladimir have their own dreams, the most obvious being to finally meet Godot: “And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come” (Beckett 70). Everything in their lives have fallen away except the one simple fact that they are waiting for Godot. Estragon and Vladimir believe that once Godot comes, everything will change for the better. They are still stuck in the idea that other people start their revolution; they must first realize that they must revolutionize themselves. We talked quite a bit in class about the fact that Estragon and Vladimir have multiple opportunities to find Godot: they could follow the boy, look for Godot themselves, or do literally anything else besides “nothing.” But they choose to depend on others to start their revolution, which is why they are in the bad position they are in now, and have been for a very long time. Relating this to existentialism, it is man’s job to determine man’s fate; if one wants a change, that person has the free will to make that change. Although it wouldn’t be easy, Giovanni's narrator could also start her own revolution: “...to show these white folks how it should be done” (Giovanni). People may want to stop her, but the narrator has the motivation to follow her dreams just as Estragon and Vladimir do, they all just have to be confident enough to act upon it.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNikki Giovanni is a poet who grew up through the oppressions of the mid 20th century. And even without this information, I could sense the irony within her poem, “Revolutionary Dreams.” This is mainly due to the way that she speaks at such contrast with the moral codes of many. She speaks about her ambitious dreams of running America and proving her “perceptive powers of correct analysis.” Then she turns around and insinuates to the reader that these dreams were not the vehicle to change, but rather being natural and fitting into society would start a revolution. This goes against many personal morals, including my own. The obvious sense of uneasiness with Giovanni’s statement is meant to highlight social problems within her society and the inequality people face, whether due to skin color or gender. She shows the problem further by writing that it is only within her dreams that she feels she can make a difference and that when she awakes she can only be normal and natural. She uses this word, natural, multiple times in a way that resembles complacency and accepting suppression and that by following these norms, a revolution will be started.
ReplyDeleteThis same sense of irony is found in Waiting for Godot, where both Didi and Gogo believe that if they wait long enough they will get to see Godot. This task is representative of someone waiting for a purpose, faith or a sense of happiness to find them, rather than going out and searching for it. Within the book, Beckett utilizes stage directions to enhance his irony, as seen in the last line in the book, where Estragon agrees that the two men should leave, but instead they stay firmly planted to the ground, showing how the men refuse to take control of their lives. The two men believe that Godot holds the key to their destiny and that they must wait for said destiny, and in a similar way, Giovanni writes that being natural would start a revolution, when in reality, most readers will instantly realize how wrong that idea is. Giovanni's true thoughts are revealed in the first half of her poem, where she speaks about her desires to “stop the riot and negotiate the peace” and her dreams of changing the world. The men in Godot only wish to change their own worlds, but fail to see that their lives are in their own hands and they instead put their fate in the blind faith of an absent man.
ReplyDeleteNikki Giovanni’s poem, Dreams, encourages the audience to think logically, yet prosperously. The narrator begins her poem with the explanation of their own radical dreams. Giovanni had “dreams of taking over america to show these white folks how it should be done” (2-5). She had dreamed of great things, believing she could “stop the riot and negotiate the peace” (10) all by herself, yet this was an illogical aspiration -- an unreachable dream. However, she comes to the realization that her outrageous imagination interferes with personal movement and success. Giovanni “awoke...and dreamed natural” (11-12). This antithesis and transition from illogical dreams to logical ones, expands on her ultimate theme: with a focused mindset, one can take the proper steps to achieve their logical dreams. In addition to this theme, Giovanni also includes the power of women, as she concludes the poem with: “doing what a woman does when she is natural i would have a revolution” (15-16). She exemplifies the idea that women have the ability to achieve great things, especially when they use a logical and natural approach.
While Waiting for Godot has no women characters in it, it can still relate to the first theme in Dreams. The two men in the play were waiting for an illogical figure -- an unreachable dream. They knew deep down that it was impossible to find Godot, especially after the continued repetition of “he surely will be here to-morrow” (Beckett). Estragon and Vladimir kept looking for the next day, not doing anything to achieve their dream, just like Giovanni was continued to wait and “dream a radical dream” (6). The characters had to “wake up” and and begin to dream naturally, logically, in order to reach their goal.
In the poem Giovanni introduces the idea of dreams, some being powerful, farfetched dreams, other being more simple and achievable. The narrators original dreams were about making an impact on the world. She saw how the country was being run and she didnt agree with it, so she dreamt of changing it. This would be a difficult dream to acomplish but her diction shows that she was serious about it. The use of the word ‘militant’ indicates that the dream was much more serious and had a deeper meeting to her. The narrator also dreams of showing off her perception and analysis. She was confident and knew her strengths, so she dreamt of being recognized for it. She believed in herself so much, that she felt she could make peace on her own, and stop all the violence herself. These are her original dreams, but the narrator uses the phrase ‘used to’ in order to show that these dreams are in the past, and that she no longer has these dreams. She ‘awoke’, indicating that she had a realization, and saw that her dreams were inconcevible. Her dreams became more ‘natural’ and simple, because in this time period, women of the minority were not supposed to have large dreams. Society told her that she should just do something simple and not try to overachieve. She thinks that she will have a ‘revolution’ if she has a simplier dream and will be satisfied by this. The narrator went from having a large dream that could make an impact on the world, to having a dream that comforms to the ideals of society.
ReplyDeleteThis relates to Waiting for Godot, in the fact of finding a meaning to life. The two men could easily walk away from where they are and make something of their lives. They have the ability and the opportunity to do so. Instead they choose to wait for a man who may never come. Their waiting is similar to Giovanni’s more natural dreams, because it doesnt hold much value and doesnt really satisfy the character. Both pieces express how you have to find a meaning to life, and that settling for anything less, wont lead to a satisfying life.
“Dreams” is a poem written by Nikki Giovanni to encourage her audience to dream big, but in a logical, thought out way. She uses the word natural several times throughout the piece; “...Then I awoke and dug that if I dreamed natural dreams of being a natural woman doing what a woman does when she is natural…” (11-15). Based off of this, it can be assumed that she believes people should let things happen in a natural way or order. Transitioning from speaking in the past tense (i.e. in line 11: “I used to dream radical dream”), to the line “Then I awoke and dug…”, she she seems to have had some sort of revelation in her life, that made her begin to think and see things in a different way. Overall, I believe she is saying that is important to be rational when thinking about what you may want to achieve in life, but at the same time do not stop yourself from dreaming big. Simply be logical when thinking about how to reach your goals. This can be connected to Waiting for Godot; Vladimir and Estragon share a dream of wanting to meet Godot; “It’s Godot! We’re saved!” (Beckett 64). From what readers know / can interpret about Godot, he doesn’t exist, or at least the idea of waiting for him day after day is illogical. This is similar to what Giovanni says in her poem; the idea of it being okay to strive for things in life and have big dreams, but also the fact that those dreams should be reachable.
ReplyDeleteIn African-American poet Nikki Giovanni’s “Dreams”, the author describes different types of dreams, from the militant to the radical. Throughout the poem, the sentences are diverse and the rhythm is not consistent: there is no rhyme and lines are different lengths, showing the irrationality behind “militant” and “radical” dreams. In the beginning of the poem, the mood is darker and ominous since Giovanni described how she wanted to “[take] over america”, giving the impression that she would force her ideas upon those to whom she would preach (Giovanni 2-3). She then contrasts that with a gentler tone, saying she will teach “these white folks”, who have been the main cause of oppression for African-Americans in the society of the United States (4). The demonstrative pronoun, “these”, displays an accusatory tone, placing blame on the white people of America. She separates the word “done” from the rest of the poem to show that she is fed up with the way others have been treating her, and she will start the subsequent revolution. Giovanni begins to open up to the reader when she writes, “i even used to think i’d be the one / to stop the riot and negotiate peace / then i awoke” (9-11). This tone shift in the poem shows Giovanni’s well-meaning and underlying optimism regarding racism. What she thought before were simply dreams, not reality, meaning that she realized what she had been wishing for was not likely to come true. The next section of the poem frequently uses the word “natural” to convey the idea that her previous dreams were outlandish and unrealistic; this section of the poem has a cyclical rhythm tending to fall on “natural”, which is interesting - the words fit with the feeling of the poem. She states that if she were a “woman doing what a woman does when she is natural”, then she would “have a revolution” (14-16). This means that Giovanni can have dreams, but not to exaggerate them, which would cause chaos in the world. Giovanni makes the clear distinction between revolutionary and disastrous, and which dreams will cause the most success for humanity as well as an individual.
ReplyDeleteThis connects to Waiting for Godot in a sense that Vladimir and Estragon don’t realize that what they are waiting for is unrealistic. Their ignorance allows them to have dreams of who Godot really is, and what he is like. Their “dream” of meeting Godot is the irrational, naive belief that keeps them, like Giovanni, from starting a revolution, both within their minds and their communities. Back and forth the characters bicker:
Estragon: [having tried in vain to work it out] I’m tired! [Pause.] Let’s go.
Vladimir: We can’t.
Estragon: Why not?
Vladimir: We’re waiting for Godot.
Estragon: Ah! [Pause. Despairing.] What’ll we do, what’ll we do! (Beckett 58).
Giovanni wished to spread the message of the black people to the whites, which was unrealistic in such a large capacity, while meeting Godot was never going to happen. What if there isn’t even a Godot at all? How do they know he’s even coming? There are so many unknowns in the situation that it cannot move forward, and Giovanni does not know how people would react to her bold ideas, so it is better for her to play it safe and be “natural.” Estragon states later into Beckett’s piece, “I was dreaming I was happy,” and Vladimir replies, “That passed the time” (80). This ideology suggests that dreams have no point - they have no purpose and are simply there to allow time to progress. At least the irrational ones. There are no logical thoughts or motives in Waiting for Godot, so Vladimir and Estragon do not know what it feels like to be “natural”; they cannot start a revolution in their world unless they break out of their mold and venture out to seek Godot, which will lead them to discover their surroundings and understand them in a way that will initiate personal growth.
In Nikki Giovanni’s “Dreams” poem, Giovanni illustrates the influence that her different types of dreams have on her. In the first half of the poem, she explains that she used to have “militant” and “radical” dreams. Her dreams that centered around political and social reform incessantly empowered her, however, they represented a completely unrealistic way for achieving her goal. After she had these powerful dreams, she believed that she could do things like “[take] over america to show these white folks how it should be done”. In writing, it’s proper to capitalize the names of places, however, Giovanni doesn't capitalize America. This intentional error illustrates her disapproval of the events going on in America at the time that she wrote this poem, which explains why she desires to show the “white folks” how she perceives that things should be. This sentence also hints at the fact that racial tensions may be rising and racism and discrimination may be present during this time period. However, one person alone cannot elicit significant societal or political change like her dreams make her believe she is able to do in this time period. Her unrealistic dreams give her a false sense of power, making her have an illogical perception of her capabilities. At the end of the poem, she describes that if she ever had natural dreams, she would have a “revolution” and actually commence carrying out her goals. This change of influence that her dreams have on her represents that being able to elicit change doesn’t depend on these big, extravagant gestures, sometimes all it takes is being “natural”. Believing that change can solely happen as a result of a big, unrealistic actions will lead to inaction because waiting for these unrealistic expectations to actually take place could take an extensive period of time-if it ever even actually happens. This same concept can be seen in Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”. In this play, the two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for a man whom they call Godot. Godot represents a magical, unrealistic individual whom upon finally meeting Vladimir and Estragon, would give them their purpose in life; however, Godot never comes. Because Estragon and Vladimir believe that they must wait for Godot to give them their purpose in life, they spend their lives waiting for this unattainable and unrealistic force the same way that Giovanni’s power dreams initially made her wait for societal change. This waiting causes them to be in a state of inaction towards what they truly want to accomplish in life. When Giovanni discusses her “militant” and “radical” dreams, she never mentions how they influence her actions, and that is because they never did. These types of dreams solely influenced her mindset, but never inspired her enough to carry out what they inspired her to achieve. However, she explains that if she ever has a “natural” (logical) dream, she would immediately catalyze the actions required to achieve the change she wants to see take place in the world by having a “revolution”. In “Waiting for Godot”, this same message is not directly stated in the text, however, it is implied. This process of waiting for Godot caused Estragon and Vladimir to avoid venturing out to find what could give them the purpose and meaning they were so tirelessly looking for. Instead of taking action to acquire the purpose and meaning they incessantly searched for, they decided to wait for an unrealistic force to allot them their respective meanings, which resulted in a significant amount of inaction in their lives. This can be seen in the following conversation between Estragon and Vladimir:
ReplyDelete“Estragon: Let's Go.
DeleteVladimir: We can’t.
Estragon: Why not?
Vladimir: We’re waiting for Godot.” (Beckett, 68).
The speaker in “Dreams” by Nikki Giovanni as well as the main characters in “Waiting for Godot” fail to reach their aspirations when they strive towards an unrealistic goal; however, both texts explain that if they were to instead focus on striving towards a sound, logical decision, they would be able to reach their respective aspirations.
In Giovanni’s poem, Dreams, she focuses on her dreams to change America and how they transformed. At first she states how she “...had dreams of taking over america to show these white folks how it should be done” (Lines 2-5). On the surface, this dream seems more evil than she what she actually wants to achieve, which we can infer is a change in how America is ran in regards to race. She states how she believed she could “...stop the riot and negotiate the peace”. This can be seen as her funneling down her thoughts and actions towards achieving her goal because we can see that the more she plans out her argument, the more reachable her goal becomes. This is similar to Waiting For Godot because Vladimir’s and Estragon’s main goal is to meet Godot, and we as readers can infer that this goal is unreachable. The one part Vladimir and Estragon are missing is the logical thinking regarding Godot. They often suggest leaving but they remind each other that they must stay in order to meet Godot, “...Let’s go. We can’t. Why not? Were waiting for Godot” ( Beckett 6). This discourages them to actually go look for Godot or some other meaning for their lives. After over exaggerating her dreams, Giovanni begins to use a slower pace and repeat the word “natural”. The word natural can indicate that she’s pursuing her dreams by not really doing anything at all. Almost like she has her hopes that it could change without her taking any action. This seems to relate directly to Waiting For Godot because Vladimir and Estragon are not taking any ultimate action to meet Godot. After the boy comes to tell the pair that Godot will not be there today, but surely tomorrow, they keep their faith that he will come, “ ...Tomorrow everything will be better...He said that Godot was sure to come tomorrow” ( Beckett 44). They just waiting by the tree, hoping to eventually meet Godot, like Giovanni hopes that the organization of America will change on it’s own.
ReplyDeleteGiovanni's "Dreams" creates a commentary on how to cope with oppression. She portrays this idea that the best solution to ending oppression is to not be oppressed by it. She says that only through behaving "naturally" will a "revolution" take place. This idea is explained when she describes that if a woman acts how she would if she were not oppressed in the first place, then the oppression would have no power over her, or no impact on her behavior or lifestyle. About dreams, she is saying that they can sometimes be misleading, or make a person want to act on something that may be better off not acted upon, that dreams can be unrealistic or inapplicable to real situations. Though a dream may seem very desirable, it does not give a legitimate basis for action. This is similar to Waiting for Godot in that Godot is representative of a dream. He is an unrealistic goal, with no measurable way to reach. Estragon and Vladimir do not have any real direction as to how to find Godot, they just have a vague image of him in their minds. Similar to "Dreams," where Giovanni had a goal of equality with no concrete path to obtain it, Estragon and Vladimir had a goal of Godot with no concrete path to obtain him.
ReplyDeleteNikki Giovanni, in her poem “Dreams,” talks about the struggles of achieving the impossible. Giovanni uses sleep as an extended metaphor for the goals that she wishes to accomplish during her lifetime. When she finally “awakens,” she becomes enlightened, showing that dreams can only be achieved once you have taken a logical and idealist approach to a problematic situation. Giovanni refers to her dreams as “militant” and “radical” to show the audience that while prosperous, her ideals were more authoritative than what should be preached. This is a commentary on how acts of power try to change the views of the population through force, rather than through choice. If change is not voluntary, then Giovanni believes that it is not changing at all and rather control. Giovanni believes that genuine revolutions take place when a collective group of people acts in the same naturalistic way., which she describes this when she says, “a natural / woman doing what a woman / does when she is natural.” This repetition of “natural” paints the picture that only real change comes with individuality. Giovanni could also be commenting on slavery, as she is of African descent, because even though the shackles have been broken, black Americans are still not seen as natural products of society.
ReplyDeleteWaiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett presents a similar situation of acting realistically to a situation. When Vladimir and Estragon are strategizing what their next move will be, they choose to go with an unnaturalistic approach.
VLADIMIR: Ah Gogo, don’t go on like that. To-morrow everything will be better.
ESTRAGON: How do you make that out?
VLADIMIR: Did you not hear what the child said?
ESTRAGON: No
VLADIMIR: He said Godot was sure to come to-morrow. (Pause) What do you say to that? (Beckett 34).
This is ironically different from Giovanni’s situation, being that, in their current state, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for the “radical," rather than wishing to become the "radical." Vladimir’s assumption that “everything will be better” the next day shows that the two are waiting for an impactful figure to relieve them from their troubles quickly. Godot, throughout the text, can be seen as the unapproachable “dream,” but if Vladimir and Estragon only think about the fantasy, it will never be achieved. Godot is the militant and radical version of Giovanni, and similarly, if Vladimir and Estragon had taken the natural approach to their situation, they would have been the revolution that they inquired. In Waiting for Godot, the men are perpetually lost in the void of their dreams, never acting towards their goal. If a naturalistic approach like Giovanni's had been taken, Vladimir and Estragon would have found their true nature, which would have set them on a path towards fulfilling their dreams.
In Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Dreams” she writes of both radical and natural dreams, using the contrast they have on one another to enhance her point. Radical dreams are dreams that are much further out of reach than the character with the dream can achieve, restricting the characters way of life. In Giovanni’s poem she writes, “i even used to think i’d be the one to stop the riot and negotiate the peace,” highlighting the idea that a radical dream is illogical because it is impossible for one single person to “stop the riot and negotiate peace” in the world. On the other hand she writes, “i dreamed of natural dreams of being a natural woman doing what a woman does when she is natural,” allowing a stark contrast to the radical dream she spoke of earlier, making the reader aware of the fact that they can dream, but dreaming should be done within reason so the dream may actually be achieved.
ReplyDeleteNikki Giovanni’s poem relates to Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” due to the fact that Vladimir and Estragon are dreaming an irrational dream, or a radical dream. The dream that they will never be able to reach is their dream of meeting Godot. Because they are only dreaming and hoping for this one illogical thing they have restricted the life that they live, forcing them to repeat the same day over and over, never taking any action towards achieving their dream. Beckett writes,
“Vladimir: Well? Shall we go?
Estragon: Yes, let’s go.
[They do not move.]” (85)
in order to make this idea stand out to the reader. Vladimir and Estragon never make any action toward their dream of meeting Godot because subconsciously they know it will never happen, therefore the only way to live a life free of these harsh restrictions placed on the two characters, they must dream of natural dream rather than radical dreams.
Nikki Giovanni in her poem “Dreams” discusses how dreams can be interpreted through different lenses and fulfilled in unexpected ways. Giovanni begins her poem by describing how she used to view her dreams. She shared a lense with the rest of the world, “I used to dream militant dreams of taking over america to show these white folks how it should be”. She then displays her transition into a new interpretation of dreams, “then I awoke and dug that if I dream natural dreams of being a natural woman… I would have a revolution”. This transition shows that Giovanni comes to an understanding that sometimes the biggest dreams really aren’t that big. Often our dreams seem out of reach and untouchable but if we chose to live within our means then a changed world is not outside of our reach. In Waiting for Godot Didi and Gogo realize something similar, “You can start from nothing… Yes, but you have to decide” (Beckett 54). This means that you have to choose what you become. For Didi and Gogo the dream that they view is meeting Godot. That is the world’s view of dreams but Didi and Gogo, especially Didi, begin to realize that their success and dream doesn’t have to match that of the world. Didi analyzes, “What I’m saying is we could go on from there” (Beckett 55). This epiphany aligns with Giovanni’s that she must define her own dream and that that dream is more than enough to change the world.
ReplyDeleteIn her poem “Dreams”, Nikki Giovanni explains how dreams can change. At first her dream was to be powerful and have influence over the white people in society. As the poem continues her dreams begin to change and she brings up the idea of a natural dream. Giovanni states, “... that if i dreamed a natural dreams of being a woman does when she is natural i would have a revolution.” I believe that Giovanni’s idea of a “natural” dream shows a dream that she is expected to have. The “natural” dream differs from her actual militant and radical dreams. In Giovanni’s poem she has a lack of confidence that she can achieve her goals because of what she is expected to do and how she is expected to act. This lack of hope is similar to Vladimir and Estragon’s doubt that Godot will show up. Godot can be seen as the inconceivable dream. Since Godot never shows up they must settle for a “natural” dream. Estragon frequently says that they should leave but Vladimir responds by saying “We can’t … We’re waiting for Godot,” (Beckett 51). This represents their inability to achieve more bold, important dreams because of their “natural” dream. They are expected to wait because that is what Godot told them to do. In both pieces the “natural” dream holds less value and are the dreams that seem more reachable.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Dreams”, I immediately felt a connection, mostly because I feel exactly the same. I’ve always wanted to be important, to be remembered and revered for my accomplishments. Perhaps that’s the reason for my dedication to school. However, Giovanni is telling her audience that everyone is important, and that everyone can make change together, regardless of their political or intellectual position or status. Giovanni states “...if I dreamed natural dreams of being a natural woman… I would have a revolution.” This statement means that simply being a woman is great enough; that being yourself makes you important enough. Thus, the poem looks at dreams as expectations of self; specifically, dreams that create an impossible task. The author sees these dreams as deprecation of confidence, and uses her poem to argue that we should be happy with who we are, because our actions simply as human beings can bring an inner revolution.
ReplyDeleteBoth Waiting for Godot and Dreams emphasize the importance of engaging in the actions that make us human: actions that cause change within ourselves. Beckett’s absurdist play accents the static nature of his characters, using this nature as an example of a meaningless existence. “ESTRAGON:
Well, shall we go?
VLADIMIR:
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]”
Vladimir and Estragon seem to have an inability to change their actions, and thus have an inability to change themselves. Similarly, Giovanni accents the nature of the narrator. The narrator of Dreams highlights the revolutionary outcomes of acting as a dynamic human; simple actions as a “natural woman doing what a natural woman does when she is natural” bring revolution because natural human endeavors bring inner change.
Both “Dreams” by Nicki Giovanni and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett explain a unique perspective on naturality and dreams. Being natural, or behaving as one is meant to by the very essence of who they are is examined from two different viewpoints in these works. For Giovanni, her view on being natural is embodied in the final lines of her poem, “dreams of being a natural/ woman doing what a woman/ does when she is natural/ i would have a revolution” (13-16). Women in society are often seen and portrayed as being dismissive and weak, and it is often assumed that that is how women are “supposed to be”. In my opinion, Giovanni is arguing that though women often conform to these stereotypes, it is not what, at least for our author, how she would act if she were allowed to be “natural. Giovanni is arguing that if she and other women actually acted how they pleased, then, there would be a revolution. Samuel Beckett, on the other hand, some people with wait forever for something, though they believe, that may or may not exist or happen. His two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are seemingly content with waiting,
ReplyDelete“Estragon: Charming spot. (He turns, advances to front, halts facing auditorium.) Inspiring prospects. (He turns to Vladimir.) Let’s go.
Vladimir: We can’t.
Estragon: Why not?
Vladimir: Were waiting for Godot.” (Beckett Page 8)
Humans are naturally curious, but Vladimir and Estragon choose to wait, without truly questioning why and what they are waiting for. These two texts examine the idea that what we choose to do is not always natural, and that if we were natural, it would be so unlike we act now as to cause an uproar.
Nikki Giovanni crafts a narrative of the dreams she once had, where she would "[take] over America to show/ these white folks how it should be" (Giovanni 2-4), where she would blow the opposition away and save the day, "stop the riot and negotiate the peace" (Giovanni 10). Through these tales, Giovanni implies naivety and youthful recklessness, wherein one person takes the world by storm bombastically, in a clean sweep, and she makes it clear that these are just that: dreams. Logic would make clear the difficulty, if not impossibility, for one person to solve every problem facing society, from riots, wars, and hostility to hunger and corruption, and Giovanni realized that as she awakes. She further goes on to describe a new dream upon awaking from the slumber, where if she "dreamed natural/ dreams of being a natural/ woman doing what a woman/ does when she is natural/ [she] would have a revolution" (Giovanni 12-16). Building upon the irony of dreaming after waking, Giovanni brings to attention that acting rational would lead to change on its own. To put it succinctly, acting "radically normal" could change the world in ways one person could not outside their wildest dreams. Through her poem, Giovanni expresses that the logical, progressive acts of the many can compensate or perhaps outweigh the superhuman, world-correcting action of dreams.
ReplyDeleteServing to exemplify this are the characters Vladimir and Estragon of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting For Godot." In the play, the two characters' only course of action is to wait for Godot, the mysterious figure that is the end of their journey. Instead of actively seeking out Godot, as many outside the narrative have suggested, the pair simply waits for the end of their path to come to them. The pair does dream of finding other ways to end the weight, such as hanging themselves:
"VLADIMIR: ...What do we do now?
ESTRAGON: Wait.
VLADIMIR: Yes, but while waiting.
ESTRAGON: What about hanging ourselves?" (Beckett 9).
Ideally, Estragon is suggesting something out of fancy, a way to end the wait that one would probably not take, or attempt, in real life. Much like the past dreams of Giovanni, they dreamt of radical, high-impact solutions to their problems that would yield little in the way of positive results if attempted in earnest. The contrast comes where Giovanni realizes that logical, rational action within her own abilities could accomplish the goal, where Vladimir and Estragon seemingly never realize that following the logical path (following the boy back to Godot, asking for aid in finding him, seeking him on their own, et cetera) could accomplish what waiting or inane, morbid musings could not. If the two did follow this path, like Giovanni, their task, whether it be finding Godot or changing the world, could be accomplished.
the poem hinges on the meaning of the word "revolution." The speaker began her journey with one concept of revolution as involving the radical reversal of racial oppression in america. But later, she becomes convinced that the revolutionary is not only found in large racial and political events, but in the small and personal, too. She soon comes to believe that the most revolutionary thing she can do is something small and personal.
ReplyDeleteThis relates to Waiting for Godot because Vladimir and Estragon are trying to find their meaning in life. They could have easily just stopped looking for Godot and continued to search to make their lives mean something. They continue to look for a being that will never come ever though they have the choice to stop and make something of themselves.Giovanni's natural dreams is similar to Estragon and Vladimir's waiting for Godot because it does not accomplish anything or make the characters feel good about themselves. Both pieces try and tell the reader that settling for less than finding the meaning of life will not complete your life
Nikki Giovanni grew up during the height of the Civil Rights Movement and in response to it she was part of the Black Arts Movement, where she wrote this particular poem. In the beginning of the poem, Giovanni describes her dreams as “militant” and “radical”, when she wants to dream big and use “her perceptive powers of correct analysis” to start a revolution. It just comes to show that as child, she dreamed of unrealistic things of taking over the world and using her dreams only to fight what is going on around her. However, ironically, the poem takes a turn when she instead uses the word “natural” to describe her dreams. At the point of a young woman, she finally realizes that she cannot use unrealistic manners of achieving her goals and changing the world. The best thing that she can do is be herself and not work alone, but together with other people to bring about a difference. The complete turn represents a change in thought of the different types of dreams and in a way, also the different types of fighting. The “radical dreams” represent a violent way to fight injustice while the “natural dreams” are the nonviolent and civil disobedient way of fighting back. In the end, she realizes that nonviolence and not violence is the only way of fighting evil.
ReplyDeleteThe sole purpose of Vladimir and Estragon’s lives are them waiting for Godot, but the reader realizes that is an unrealistic goal. In fact in the text, it states:
VLADIMIR: We can still part, if you think it would be better.
ESTRAGON: It's not worthwhile now.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: No, it's not worthwhile now.
Silence.
ESTRAGON: Well, shall we go?
VLADIMIR: Yes, let's go.
They do not move. (Beckett 45).
At the end of both the acts, Vladimir and Estragon decide that they should leave but they don’t even move to search for another purpose. The act of waiting for godot is similar to that of:
“i used to dream radical dream
of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers
of correct analysis” (Giovanni 6-8).
Vladimir and Estragon have the “radical dream” of finally meeting Godot but in the eyes of the reader, it will never come true because instead of searching for Godot, they are waiting for him. However, for Vladimir and Estragon it is their “natural dream” to wait instead of search because that is who they are and what they are used to. They themselves believe it is their “natural” behavior to wait rather than search for a purpose.
Nikki Giovanni explains in her poem, “Dreams” that someone does not have to have the most ‘radical dream’ in order to create change. These militant and radical dreams often come early in life, and are sadly unrealistic. They are wishful thinking as every young adult feels the power to end every injustice in the world. She later states, “...if i dreamed natural dreams of being a natural woman doing what a woman does when she is natural i would have a revolution” (Giovanni Lines 12-16). There is nothing wrong with a ‘natural dream’ as through time wisdom is gained and real, plausible dreams are acknowledged. Through these less demanding dreams change can still be made, she can still be the person she has always wanted to be. She can still have a revolution, just may appear to be of a smaller scale.
ReplyDeleteCorrelation can be seen between Giovanni’s poem and Beckett’s play, “Waiting for Godot.” The thought of waiting for a man day after day with no end in sight seems like a stationary death to most people but it can also be seen as a ‘natural dream.’ They are hurting no one in the process and they themselves do not truly want to leave, “Vladimir: Well? Shall we go / Estragon: Yes, let's go. / [They do not move]” (Beckett 85). There is peace in a mindless act, so while it may seem absurd to others it makes sense in comparison to Nikki Giovanni’s piece. They are living naturally, they are not taking extreme or radical measures but simply waiting.
Giovanni's poem is an argument for the greater good of small, seemingly insignificant ways of life over the grandiose delusions we may occupy. By merely being what she deems a natural woman, she is doing good. As with Johannes in Ordet (1955), it is only after a return to reality, or perhaps sanity, that her true strengths emerge. A still life of an apple can mean more than a crucifixion, and so it is that simplicity imparts greater impact than the high-flown and inflated.
ReplyDeleteVladimir and Estragon-thralls to the titular Godot- dwell outside of reality, and indulge themselves in delusions of Godot, their damnation (and the salvation only Godot may ably bestow), &c. In their fabricated world,they are struggling towards the ineffable: "Vladimir: We are no longer alone, waiting for the night, waiting for Godot, waiting for . . . waiting. All evening we have struggled, unassisted. Now it's over. It's already tomorrow ... Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! (Pause. Vehemently.) Let us do something, while we have the chance! It is not every day that we are needed. Not indeed that we personally are needed. Others would meet the case equally well, if not better. To all mankind they were addressed, those cries for help still ringing in our ears! But at this place, at this moment of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it is too late! Let us represent worthily for once the foul brood to which a cruel fate consigned us!"(Beckett samuel_beckett.net) These phrases ring with the biblical delusions of grandeur Vladimir imbues the "cruel fate" of the two. Yet, these two have done very little but engage in idle discourse, and the "cruel fate" is merely the choice of the two,viz. to stand waiting for Godot. As with Giovanni's dreams, the hopes of Vladimir and Estragon are founded upon irrationality. "We are all born mad. Some remain so,"claims Estragon, and this aphorism certainly applies to the play's protagonists. The two believe they are making strides, yet the are merely standing:"Estragon: Yes, let's go.
(They do not move.)"(Beckett). So great is their slavish faith. Giovanni, perceives the absurdity of her dreams; Vladimir and Estragon are incapable of such. Which is the greater path is a question that may only yield subjective answers.
In her poem titled, “Dreams”, Nikki Giovanni tells of crazy, radical ideas that she claims are dreams, things that are destined to do no more than exist within the limits of our imagination. She speaks of changing society, and changing the way we live: “dreams of taking / over america to show / these white folks how it should be” (lines 2-4), but also of being remembered: “i used to dream radical dream / of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers” (6-7).I believe at first, her view of dreams was that they were simply figures of the imagination, and nothing more, and nothing was to be done about them. However, at the end of the poem, it appears as though she believes that even dreaming about being “natural” can be revolutionary. Dreams were once a far, hard to reach concept of life, but now, to her, dreams are within reach, and not only that, but dreams, as average and small as they can be, can still create a revolution: “if i dreamed natural / dreams of being a natural / woman doing what a woman / does when she is natural / i would have a revolution” (12-16).
ReplyDeleteI feel as though Estragon and Vladimir are still in the first phase of dreams that Giovanni was in during the first half of her poem. Vladimir and Estragon are too small minded to dream big dreams, dreams of self-meaning and purpose to life. Due to their incapabilities to seeing the bigger picture, and perhaps a lack of the bigger picture itself, they view anything other than simply waiting for Godot as an impossible, unreachable dream. The reader sees this when Estragon and Vladimir say,
“Estragon: [having tried in vain to work it out] I’m tired! [Pause.] Let’s go.
Vladimir: We can’t.
Estragon: Why not?
Vladimir: We’re waiting for Godot.
Estragon: Ah! [Pause. Despairing.] What’ll we do, what’ll we do!” (Beckett 58).
Here, Estragon has the idea to leave, but upon hearing Vladimir say they can’t, he accepts the fact and almost gives up by saying “What’ll we do”. They both have a sense of something that might be better, but they feel as though it is out of their control and unreachable, which I think is how Giovanni first viewed dreams in the beginning of her writing.