Critics have often written about the univer-
sal tone of the poem ‘‘Lineage,’’ as has Walker
herself. Critics generally praise Walker for her
universality, and the poet has declared that ‘‘Lin-
eage’’ was written not just for her grandmothers
but for everyone’s. So what is a universal tone,
and where is it found in this poem?
To begin with, a universal tone implies that
anyone, no matter in what culture or during what
decade, whether male or female, whether raised in
the city or the country, in a home of any religion
or no religion, can relate to the themes, the char-
acters, or the generalimages. The elements of a
piece of writing that are called universal are broad
enough to embrace more than a narrow section of
a population. They reach beyond a specific society
or culture. As such, they can be seen as related to
the basic elements or characteristics of what it
meanstobehuman.Sowhencriticscommenton
the universality of a poem, they are referring to the
poem’s ability to traverse nationality and culture
and have an effect on all kinds of readers from all
over the globe. How does Walker’s poem ‘‘Line-
age’’ do this?
The universality of this poem begins with the
title. Every human being can relate to the conceptWHAT
DO I READ
NEXT? Walker’s best-known work is her novelJubilee
(1966). Through this book, readers become
witnessestothelivesofslaves during the Civil
War and one slave in particular, the young
woman Vyry. She is eventually freed at the
end of the war, but that does not make her
life any easier. She and her husband begin
building a new life only to have members of
the Ku Klux Klan terrorist group burn every-
thing to the ground. Vyry’s spirit prevails as the
white community around her comes to her aid.
Walker wrote a nonfiction book calledHow I
Wrote ‘‘Jubilee,’’ and Other Essays on Life and
Literature(1990). In these sixteen essays, writ-
ten over the last fifty years of her life, Walker
reflects on her role as teacher, writer, and
political activist and on her struggles with rac-
ism, sexism, and classism. This collection has
been called a great example of serious study of
black culture.
Walker has said that Langston Hughes was
one of the greatest influences on her writing
and her life.Selected Poems of Langston
Hughes(1990) presents some of his most
celebrated verse.
Walker met and worked with Gwendolyn
Brooks in Chicago in the 1930s. The two
poets are often considered as contempora-ries. Brooks’sSelected Poems(1999) demon-
strates why she was awarded the Pulitzer
Prize in 1950 and was the recipient of the
National Book Foundation Medal for Dis-
tinguished Contribution to American Let-
ters. Brooks is often praised for devoting
her attention to the lives of others, rather
than writing about herself. She is called a
compassionate writer.
Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth,
by Richard Wright, who was also a great
influence on Walker’s life, was published in- The book shook up Wright’s white
audience, as they were exposed to the harsh
conditions faced by blacks living in the
South. The book provides a glimpse into
the era of Jim Crow laws and hateful dis-
crimination that prevailed in the southern
states around when Walker moved north to
go to college.
The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni,
1968–1998(2003), provides readers with a
comprehensive look at Giovanni’s work.
Though they came from different genera-
tions, Walker and Giovanni shared a similar
philosophy and a common interest in por-
traying what it has meant to be a black
female living in the United States.
Lineage