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Kaleidoscope

4
Poem

Won’t you celebrate with me

Lucille Clifton

INTRO
Lucille Clifton (1936 – 2010) is a well-known African American poet, writer, activist,
and educator from Buffalo, New York. From 1979 to 1985, she was poet laureate of
Maryland. This beautiful poem titled “won’t you celebrate with me” first appeared in 1993 in
her collection, Book of Light.
In the 1960s, when this poem was written, the American civil rights movement was at
its peak. It awakened a new sense of self-awareness for African Americans. Generations of
African Americans had experienced both a historical exile from Africa and a metaphorical
exile from the so-called American Dream.
The poem, ‘won’t you celebrate with me’ celebrates her identity in a world dominated
by the white patriarchy. The beauty of the poem lies in the honest expression of the poet
about her achievement for making it to the top without any role model or support system. She
has overcome every hurdle in her life and rose to peaks of excellence such as the Chancellor
of the Academy of American Poets and the Poet Laureate of Maryland. She has achieved it
singlehandedly, despite being a woman from the nonwhite community, amidst the hostility of
everything against her.
The poem addresses racism and inherent gender inequality. Throughout this poem, the
poet explores her journey and the obstacles that were in her way to becoming her true self.

Short Answer Questions

1. Comment on the form of the poem.

‘won’t you celebrate with me’ by Lucille Clifton is a fourteen-line poem that is
commonly regarded as a sonnet. However, it does not use a traditional sonnet rhyme scheme
or metrical pattern. In fact, Clifton chose not to use any pattern of rhyme or rhythm in ‘won’t
you celebrate with me.’

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2. What does the phrase “a kind of life” suggest?

The phrase, “a kind of life”, suggests that it is a life far from the ideal; it is not the one
which people usually wish to have. However, it is self-affirmative and real. It has been built
up by the poet, Lucille Clifton herself, with her own hands without relying on any example or
model.

3. What is the connotation of the line: “i made it up”?

The poet, Lucille Clifton, refuses to accept the ideals proclaimed by other people with whom she
has no affinity. She chose to create life according to her own beliefs. The speaker has overcome
every hurdle and modelled herself on her own image.

4. What is the significance of the phrase “between/ starshine and clay”?

The phrase, “between / starshine and clay” represents the divide between opportunity
and reality. The “stars” represent the promise of the future whereas the “clay” is the earth in
this metaphor, the lack of opportunity and the absolute reality. Being ‘nonwhite and woman’,
you can see the opportunity, “the star” others are talking about, but without a defined path to
get there, you are stuck almost the ‘clay.’

Paragraph Questions and Answers

1. Discuss the relevance of the use of lowercase in the title of the poem.
The entire text, including the title of Lucille Cliffton’s short poem, ‘won’t you
celebrate with me’, is written using the lowercase letters. From this, it’s clear that the poet’s
words and ideas are not bound by any conventional rules. It also makes the poem appear
informal, even spontaneous. When she writes, “i made it up,” she is speaking about her
identity and her approach to writing. In spite of her being a “nonwhite” and “woman”, facing
the double barrier in her achieving something great, she rose to become the poet laureate of
Maryland. She did it without any role models, in her own way. Challenging the conventions
is also typical of a narrative of resistance and self-assertion.

2. Comment on the imagery employed by Lucille Clifton.

Lucille Clifton uses plenty of images in this poem. For example, she talks about
someone “born nonwhite and woman”, and “here on this bridge between”. The image of
someone “born nonwhite and woman” is a strong indictment. It means ‘white’ is given so
much privilege over all other races, so, the image of herself as ‘nonwhite’ reduces her to an
‘other.’ The addition of the image ‘and woman’ makes it more poignant. It represents
someone against which everything has been stacked. The phrase, “between / starshine and
clay” represents the divide between opportunity and reality. You can see the opportunity, “the
star” others are talking about, but without a defined path to get there; you are stuck almost the
‘clay.’

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3. Write a note on the Biblical undertones in Clifton's poem.

Lucille Cliffton asks the readers to celebrate with her “a kind of life” she has shaped.
She sees a difference between the lives of others and her own emerging self-consciousness.
She claims to have “no model” for the self that she has constructed. She draws on several
sources to explore the themes of identity, race, and gender. One of these sources is the
Biblical Psalm 137, the line beginning with “By the rivers of Babylon”. It presents an
illuminating parallel to Clifton’s poem. The hymn expresses the yearnings of the Jews exiled
by the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. The psalm’s tone echoes Clifton’s own disbelief
and indignation. Unlike the ancient Israelites exiled to Babylon, Clifton was “born in
babylon,” with no memory of a homeland.

4. “Something has tried to kill me and has failed”. Elucidate.

Lucille Clifton, in the poem “won’t you celebrate with me”, asks the reader to
celebrate with her the “something like a life” that she has managed to create for herself. She
had no model to follow. She was also born in exile and persecution as both a “non-white and
woman”. She could become nobody except for herself. So, she improvised, within the limited
space available between bodily existence and the star of opportunity. She clasped her hands
tightly together. She urges the reader to celebrate the fact that every day something has tried
to kill her but failed; she has survived. Having reflected on her lifetime of struggle, she
concludes with a renewed sense of her own accomplishments, authority, and worthiness.

Prepared by:
Prof. MURUKAN BABU C.R.
(formerly) Associate Professor of English
Panampilly Memorial Govt. College
Chalakudy

email: mbabucr@gmail.com

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