Name:
Date:
“Nikki-Rosa”
Discussion Questions
1) Underline the words that Nikki capitalizes. Now circle the words that usually are
capitalized but aren’t. Why do you think she chose to capitalize some words but not
others? Think about why certain words are capitalized—names, places, etc.
2) Highlight some of the places where Nikki grew up and their descriptions. What kind of
places do you think they were, given what she tells you in the poem?
3) Put a star * by the positive experiences Nikki talks about in her poem. Draw a line
through the negative experiences she mentions. Does the good outweigh the bad?
4) Draw a box around the line “Black love is Black wealth.” What do you think this line
means? Think about how Nikki says that it’s not poverty or her father’s drinking that
concerns her. What really matters to Nikki?
5) Nikki hopes that “no white person ever has cause” to write about her. Would a Black
person be able to write about her truthfully and understand her situation? Why/why not?
6) Do you think that it’s possible for anyone outside of a community—someone who hasn’t
been in your situation—to really know what your life is like? Why or why not?