Poem- "My First Memory (of Librarians)" by Nikki G

[Ms. Knarr]

My First Memory (of Librarians) by Nikki Giovanni



This is my first memory:

A big room with heavy wooden tables that sat on a creaky

wood floor

A line of green shades—bankers’ lights—down the center

Heavy oak chairs that were too low or maybe I was simply

too short

For me to sit in and read

So my first book was always big



In the foyer up four steps a semi-circle desk presided

To the left side the card catalogue

On the right newspapers draped over what looked like

a quilt rack

Magazines face out from the wall



The welcoming smile of my librarian

The anticipation in my heart

All those books—another world—just waiting

At my fingertips.

[rosemariefreschi]

1. I believ that this poem is about a boy's love for his librarian because she can lead him to books that will open up is world. The boy in the poem is bit overwhelemed with the vastness of the library. There are magazines nad newspapers and books and desks...it's just too much for him. But then he discoverd that he doesnt need to find the books on his own among thousands of other books. He finds the librarian and knows that she shares his love of books. The librarian is his door to the imaginary world he loves so much.
2. I thought this piece was very interesting both for the subject matter and the way it was wriiten. I love the idea that the boy loves his librarian for the fact that she can find him the books he so wants. Like I said before though the typre of writing was interesting yet it confused me. I didn't get som of the phrases because they were part of the previous thought but where put on a seperate line. For example the first stanza, second and third line. Overall i truly enjoyed this piece of poetry and understood it mostly because I feel the same way.
3. Q1: Why do you think he comments on the chairs in such detail?
Q2: How old do you think the boy might have been?
Q3: Do you remeber your first time in a library? Was it this exhilirating?
Q4: Do you think the gender of the librarian matters?

[abbyjameson]

1. I completely agree with Roe on her entire analysis, except maybe his love for the librarian. All though the boy is seems excited to see the librarian I do not think it is because of his love her, but for the anticipation of the books she can find for him that can bring him to another world. The young boy is overwhelmed with the library because he seems to be so small, but when he sees the librarian, relief washes over him because he knows she can locate the perfect book for him.
2. I actually loved this poem, I loved how it was written from a young boys point of view and how eager and excited he was over being at the library. I enjoyed that the boy became so engrossed in the novels that they took him to another universe, I really liked that he appreciated the books so much. However, where Roe was confused by the first stanza, I quite enjoyed it because it described the library and the overall feel the library had to the boy.
3. (answering question 1) I think the boy describes the library chairs in such detail for a couple of reason. first, the most obvious one, is to show how young and small he is, he is so small he cant even sit and read in the chairs. Second, to show how much love he has for his library. The amount of detail the boy goes into over the chairs proves that he has been there many times and loves them.
(my question) Why do you think his description of the library itself is important?

[stephhsieh]

1. For me, i disagree with Abby and Roe. I don't think this has anything to do with the love of the librarian, rather the love of the library itself. I also don't think this is about a boy, because Nikki is a girl, and i believe this is about her memory, obviously, from the title, of the library and the librarians. I think this poem is about her first time going there and being amazing by such a place and all the books and her desire to read and possibly because an author. The overall meaning of this poem, is the amazement of finding a whole other "universe".

2. I agree with Roe and Abby. I too really liked this poem. I really enjoyed this poem because it's something everyone can relate too. Maybe not the first time going to the library, but the feeling we all got as a little child going to a new fascinating place we fell in love with, for example, the candy story. All the candy and stacks and stacks of sweets. This poem is really well written, not to complicated and right to the point, and that's why I really enjoyed read it.

3. (answering Q4) I don't believe the gender of the librarian really matters, because I believe the whole concept of the poem is her emotions about the library and how everything was so overwhelming at the time. I believe the librarian was mentioned too add dynamic to the poem, and to have the read understand that there was someone to help and share her love for the library.

(my question) Why do you think she chose to write about her first time at the library?

[marysiagarcia]

1. I agree with Steph that this is not about the love of the librarian but the library. It is just a simple connection that if one loves something, the person who seems to bring it to you you like as well. That is the same with the librarian and the library. I think the poem is about a young girl going into the library and talking about how much she loves it and when she was little it was so amazing to her. Its overall about the pure innocence of youth and amazement at the simple things in life.
2. I really enjoyed this poem because i can relate to it. When i was young i loved the library as well. Everything was so big but i was allowed to use it all. The poem was enjoyable.
3. (answering steph's question) I think that Nikki chose to write about her first visit to the library because she thinks it is underrated and more people should visit it. The whole expereinced probably affected her greatly and she wanted to share it with others in hope that maybe other people would expereince it too.
(my question)Do you believe Nikki had a close relationship with the librarian?

[anniepirone]

1. I don't know if i can completely agree with Roe's analysis in this poem. As soon as I had read this poem I had envisioned a young child awestruck by the whole environment of the library, not just the librarian. For this reason I would have to agree with Steph's analysis. As children, we are vulnerable, and clueless which is why when we go somewhere out of our comfort zones we can be excited to explore and learn about the amazing things we can do in such environments. This poem clearly expresses a child's love for the library due to the many "worlds" they can explore just by reading and turning pages. As the child reads more pages, he becomes more enthused, and wants to continue reading and exploring. Also, the author may show such admiration for the librarian because the librarian is a mentor for him as he begins to journey through his imagination; the librarian holds the "key" to the many worlds to be explored.
2. I loved this poem. This poem uses great descriptive language to help readers clearly envision a small child entering a large library for the first time, not knowing what to expect (clueless), but wanting to learn more about it. Also, the author of this poem had chosen a topic that is very relatable to all readers. We may not remember our first trip to a library, but we do remember the fascination and excitement we felt as we checked-out our first book, and received our first membership card. I would also agree with Steph, I think what made this poem most enjoyable is how it was constructed, and how easy it is to understand.
3. To answer Roe's question four, I don't think that the gender of the librarian matters. If the gender was important to the poem, the author would have placed more emphasis on the librarian than she did on the chairs. Also, to a young child, the librarian has little relevance to their "journeys" and experiences that they have while at the library; as far as the children are concerned, they would much rather read their book than have a conversation with the librarian. To answer Marysia's question, I don't think the relationship between Nikki and her librarian can be inferred by the information given.
Q: Why do you think the author had so much anticipation to begin a new book, or even go to the library?

[veronicapuzio]

1. I have to disagree with Roe and Abby. As Steph stated, I believe that the poem is based on the life of the author. The vastness of the library sparked a type of inspiriation she had. The child is amazed by the "new world" she has stepped into when she sees the cornucopia of books at her fingertips. As Annie said, I believe the child looks to the library as a mentor, and uses her to show the child which books are best to read. The library was the girl's first memory, which inspired her to become an author. As for the description of the library in full detail, I think that the author wants the reader to envision himself/herself right in that library so that they can experience the same exhilaration that the child felt.

2. Overall, I liked this piece. It was very easily analyzed and easy to read. I can actually relate to this poem because I still remember my first memory and how powerful that can be to a person. The poem can give you a flashback into your own world. You can feel the emotion of the happy child as she steps foot into the library, and I think that is the overall purpose of the piece.

3. To answer Annie's question, I believe the author had such an anticipation to begin a new book and go to the library because it was as though she was stepping into her own new world which brought out her happiness. Also, the library probably allowed the author to express herself and become one with the book. The library was like a candy store. There was so much candy to choose from and it was almost overwhelming. This is how the author felt everytime she entered the library. She was simply a little kid in a candy shop for the first time.
My question: Do you believe that memories like this are important?

[thomashaldeman]

1. I agree with Annie completely. What I got out of this poem is the wonder and awe that the author had from discovering something new that fascinated her. Although the author mentions the "warm smile" of the librarian, I believe that was just another asset that made her whole experience much better. Most of all, I think that the author is proud of herself, mainly because she did something that she was unsure about, stepped out of her personal comfort bubble, and ventured out into something unknown, which turned out to be a success.
2. Overall, I liked this poem. It was an easy read, however it had a powerful message connected to it. I liked it because the author was reflecting on a memory that stuck with her throughout her life, and I believe that every person has a happy memory like that which sticks with them forever. The author made it easy for everyone to relate to, even though all of us might not remember our first trip to the library, we certainly remember our first happy memory.
3. To answer Veronica's question, yes I completely believe that memories like the author's are completely important. I believe that memories like these shape and make us who we are as people. Happy memories can bring us back to the good times and make us realize that who we are today is somewhat because of what that memory had an impact on us.
My question: Do you believe that if the librarian had a scowl or a frown on her face, the author's experience would have been different?

[mattstyczynski]

1. I agree more with Veronica's and Steph's ideas about what the poem means. I thought after reading it that it had to do with Nikki Giovanni's experience in a library. It seemed to me that Giovanni was taken back by the vastness of literature the library held for her to read. In addition Giovanni maybe wanted to express her appreciation for libraries because they gave her the literature to aid her in becoming a writer. Overall I think this poem might have been an attempt by Nikki Giovanni to show us where she started and got her inspiration from as a writer.

2. I thought this poem was pretty enjoyable and easy to read. There seemed to be several concepts of what this poem may mean which only improves the discussion after wards. This poem brought me back to when I was little, going into my town's library for the first time and seeing all the books and how overwhelming it was. This poem also sent a powerful message to me saying that a library filled with literature can influence a person just like it did to Nikki Giovanni. Overall I liked the piece and thought it was well written.

3. (question 3) The first time I was in a library I thought it was exciting as well as overwhelming. There were tons of choices to read and being a child, I had no clue where to even begin. Luckily I started where most children started, in the Kid's Section and began reading books from there. (my question) Do you think libraries are even necessary today with information and books on-line?

[dannyreilly]

I agree with a lot of people above that say that this poem is about Nikki Giovanni reminiscing on her first time in a library. She uses vivid descriptions that really paint a picture for the reader. I think she wrote this almost as a persuasion for people to go to libraries so they can experience amazing things she did.

I liked the poem for many of the same reasons Matt stated above. It was a very easy poem to read and it flowed nicely. Also, she describes it so well that it is easy to picture everything she saw and experienced.

(To Matt) I think libraries are necesary for many reaons. One is that not all books can be found online. Also a library provides a quiet place for someone to read or do homework when they can;t find anywhere else to go.
(My question) Do you think the amazingness of the library is what persuaded her to get into writing and literature?

[maureen]

1. I agree with what Roe says about this poem. Even though this poem is very "matter of fact" and just states exactly what the boy remembers, it opens up a huge window to what that boy's passion might be. In this poem, it shows that the young boy thinks that reading is extremely exciting and should be a memorable and large part of his life. At a small age the boy remembers the library and the librarian and he seems to remember how excited he was. He was probably so excited to obtain so much knowledge from all of the books. He was so curious and excited just like any young child is.

2. I loved this poem, because it made me think of my own first few memories and how it shows how exciting the simplest things are to a child. I also like how this poem is from a man but telling a story from the younger version of himself. As Roe was confused by the first stanza, I liked it, because it was a good intro to the piece and while I was reading the poem I was guessing what the room could possibly be.

3. I don't think this was her reason for getting so interested in literature. I think that the main reasons she wrote this was to express her passion for writing and books and to possibly show a reader how amazing reading and writing can be.

Q: Do you think the author is using this piece as a persuasion for readers to go to libraries to read and write more?