Ellie Levin Week 1 PAP: Nicole Blackman "Daughter"

 Nicole Blackman’s poem, “Daughter,” is all about how she wishes to push her beliefs and values onto her future daughter someday. Blackman is a known feminist and most of her poems include some sort of that connotation. My favorite quote from this piece is the last line that is repeated once, presumably for dramatic effect. The line states “Never forget what they did to you and never let them know you remember.” This could be interpreted to mean basically “forgive but don’t forget.” Blackman is trying to tell her future daughter or young women around the world to take your experiences and memories with you and learn from them; you can move on from what they did to you, but don’t forget it so you won’t be wronged again. Throughout the poem you see Blackman using different metaphors to tell her daughter to be and live for herself without caring what people will think. With aggressive words and phrases such as “make men lick her enterprise” or “kill the kittens” and “light things on fire.” These words are all filled with passion and although slightly violent or uncomfortable, that’s partly the point. Blackman’s words are used to empower women without worrying about the satisfaction or comfort of men. Finally, this poem may not be directly addressed to her future daughter. I interpreted this poem as a message to all young girls, all of Blackman’s “daughters.” These are the lessons and words of advice she wishes she could pass onto every young girl perhaps struggling with their own idea of womanhood and their own identities. I absolutely love the message of this piece and love how it empowers women to be who they are, do what they want, and not care about anything or anyone. I think this is a great poem for any woman of any age to read, and Blackman’s engrossing words are sure to inspire almost anyone. I also think it’s important for men to read this piece to really understand what it’s like growing up a girl and turning into a woman. Although they’ll never fully understand it, I’d say, on behalf of a feminist, this is an important read and accurately describes the essential pieces of advice women must hear to succeed and what a woman must face as she grows and matures.