Ego Tripping

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1968

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Literary Context

The political commentary observable in “Ego Tripping” characterizes many of Nikki Giovanni’s contributions to the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s. During this period of time in American history, the United States was in turmoil as the Civil Rights Movement gathered momentum. This movement for social justice in the United States had started in the 1950s, but it gained strength over the years as more and more people became aware of the racial injustices that had, until this momentous time, been widely accepted by much of mainstream America.

Inspired and enraged by acts of racist violence like the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Giovanni and other poets and artists committed themselves and their art to the Black Power movement, which was intended to promote pride in Black people as well as a sense of cultural identity. At this time, a uniquely Black aesthetic as a cultural ideology began to develop, and Black artists, musicians and writers began to separate themselves from their white counterparts and form their own identity. This aesthetic opposed the mainstream white aesthetic, and Giovanni’s poem, which contains the use of slang and unconventional capitalization, reflects her subtle subversiveness. Giovanni’s reputation as an activist-artist solidified during this time, and “Ego Tripping” is an example of her proud and celebratory attitude towards Black identity.

Second-wave feminism as a political movement took place alongside the events of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s and 70s. Giovanni’s feminist attitude is also present in “Ego Tripping,” as evidenced by the speaker’s pride in herself as a mother and the mention of her goddess daughter. According to the speaker, her female body is capable of incredible feats, as even her ability to perform unremarkable physical acts like defecation are described as exceedingly valuable; the speaker’s “bowels deliver uranium” (Line 36), which would have been among the most expensive heavy metals in the mid-20th century as the U.S. began investing in nuclear power. A feminist reading of Giovanni’s poem reveals not only pride in herself as a woman, but also pride in herself as a human being, and this duality links Giovanni’s anti-racist stance with her feminist political views.

Historical Context

Giovanni wrote “Ego Tripping” in 1972, after her first visit to Africa, an experience that likely enabled her to better her understanding of her own African heritage. During the early 1970s, newspapers at this time may have publicized some noteworthy events on the continent of Africa that call attention to matters regarding race and power as they took place around the world. In Uganda, for example, the military dictator General Idi Amin expelled the entire population of Asians from Uganda in 1972, fearing that their economic success was limiting the potential of Ugandans and ordering them to leave the country in 90 days. Also in 1972, ethnic conflict in Burundi resulted in the massacre of hundreds of thousands Hutus at the hands of the Tutsi, and the Ethiopian famine began, shocking the world with images of poverty and powerlessness. In contrast to these events in Africa, Jennifer Hosten, from Grenada, was crowned the first Black Miss World in 1970, winning an international beauty pageant and inspiring a media frenzy.

The year of Giovanni’s travels is also notable because 1972 was an important year for Black women in America. By 1972, the aforementioned Civil Rights Movement had aligned with the feminist movement, and a uniquely Black women’s movement emerged, challenging the mainstream white feminist status quo and spotlighting the issues that affect minority Black women in particular. During this year, Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York, a Black woman who was also an educator and a writer, chose to run for president. She was the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and she was also the first female presidential candidate of the United States. Though Representative Chisholm did not win the nomination, she did receive over 150 votes at the Democratic National Convention.

During the year that followed publication of “Ego Tripping,” 1973, the National Black Feminist Organization was founded. The activists who joined this organization addressed the effects of sexism and racism and the needs of Black women. Due to internal conflict and dissent regarding the best strategies to achieve political and social gains, the organization only existed for a few years. Despite its brief history, the National Black Feminist Organization was successful in that it drew attention to the complex nature of the Black female experience.