Legacies and Heritage

Legacies and Heritage Nikki Giovanni and Linda Hogan both wrote poems in the 1970s about their grandmothers that seem totally different to the unaware reader. In actuality, they are very similar. These two poems, Legacies and Heritage, express the poet’s value of knowledge passed down from grandmother to granddaughter, from generation to generation. Even though the poems are composed and read very differently, the underlying message conveyed is the same, and each are valid …

…while these poems aren't mirror reflections of one other, they are different versions of the same narrative. Everyone has their own story of their grandmother to tell, but it will never be the same as the next person's. Two stories that seem so radically different from each other will be alternate versions of one description, just like the two works by Nikki Giovanni and Linda Hogan that pay homage to their grandmothers’ wisdom and knowledge.