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About

Genius Annotation

The title “Ego-Tripping,” suggests many things: an actual ego trip or celebration of pride, “tripping” as in acting crazy or having your mind blown, and an ego so large that the author is tripping over it.

Nikki Giovanni’s first trip to Africa was in 1972, the year of the publication of this poem. Many of the great ancient African civilizations–the Egyptians, the Carthaginians, the Ethiopians–contributed to the later glories of Greek, Roman, and Norman life, and in these civilizations much of modern life finds its origins. Giovanni aligns herself with these beginnings and the possibilities they offer in “Ego-Tripping,” as she celebrates being black and female.

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