Knoxville, Tennessee

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1968

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Historical Context

As an exemplary work of the Black Arts Movement, “Knoxville, Tennessee” is important for the way it depicts Black communities. Describing Black family life, and the extended communities that develop around it, there's nothing that suggests poverty, segregation, violence—or any other victimizing description of Black people. Instead, "Knoxville, Tennessee" portrays Black life as a source of joyful abundance.

In 1968, when the poem first appeared in print, the entire world seemed on the verge of momentous social change. Civil rights was at the center of this, but there were different ideas regarding what civil rights meant and the best way to achieve them—even within the Black community. The U.S. government further complicated issues raised by civil rights activists. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for example, targeted the Black Panther Party as an "extremist organization" which advocated the "use of violence and guerilla tactics to overthrow the U.S. government" (“Black Panther Party,” FBI Records: The Vault). Governmental authorities downplayed the fact that the Black Panther's activities primarily dealt with hunger-relief programs, improving access to education, and providing healthcare to Black communities. They even launched a systematic program of disinformation around the Black Panther movement. Both at the time and at present, this deliberate recourse of lies showcased the discriminatory practices of U.S. legislation and policing. Even outside the rural backwaters of the post-bellum South, Blackness was being—and continues to be—criminalized.

Literary Context

Considering the historical context in which “Knoxville, Tennessee” was composed and published, one can see how bold and controversial it was to eschew stereotypical representations of Blackness. While not an overtly political poem, "Knoxville, Tennessee" offers an illuminating glimpse into a young Black girl's childhood. While the kind of life described in Giovanni's poem might have surprised her white readers, it probably only served as a simple confirmation of fact for her own people. Black liberation, which necessarily aligns itself with Black representation across art, literature, and music (among other forms of media) cannot be reduced to a single-minded call for revolution. As Giovanni expresses in her poem, Black liberation involves foregrounding a sense of supportive community: a radical notion of kinship underscoring freedom of movement and conviviality.

Unlike Giovanni’s other poems written during this period—many of which directly address the state-sanctioned violence imposed on African Americans—"Knoxville, Tennessee" eludes blatant references to racial categorization. In line with the revolutionary program outlined by the Black Arts Movement, the poem details a world for which one can only hope, or to which to aspire. The fact that "Knoxville, Tennessee" focuses on Black people, and Blackness at large, situates Black communities at the forefront of a higher form of collective society. Celebrating the Black experience, the poem describes a world that is always already thriving—where time, abundance, and serenity are all equated.