“Good Times” by: Lucille Clifton pg. 277

Analysis:

In the poem, “Good Times” by Lucille Clifton the homespun diction contributes significantly to the overall meaning and experience of the poem by portraying the speaker as an innocent child who appreciates the simple day-to-day experiences. The speaker uses poor grammar and an uneducated vocabulary to reinforce the innocence of the child, such as: “these is good times” and “the lights is back on”. The speaker is portrayed as a child by the way the speaker refers to his/her parents as “My Daddy” and “My Mama”. This also contributes to the homespun diction and the theme of innocence and appreciation that is displayed by the speaker by using phrases like: “good times” and “everybody is drunk and dancing in the kitchen”.

Lucille Clifton uses simple but effective imagery that gives the idea of a family that does not have a lot of money but appreciates each other’s company. The imagery, similar to the diction, is not shown with immense detail but rather simple and provincial words that expose the significance of the poem. The image of the speaker’s father paying the rent so the electricity can be turned back on and the speaker saying that “they is good times” shows how the family does not need expensive,  over the top things to be happy. The most significant image in the poem is when the family is drunk and dancing in the kitchen this simple image really expresses the overall theme of the poem which is appreciating family. The family in the poem does not have an extreme amount of wealth but they do have each other and that is what the “good times” are made of.

Reflection:

                My interpretation of the poem is to focus on the positive things in life and to not think so much about money. Appreciating the simple things in life like dancing in the kitchen with your family is more important than worrying about what you don’t have.