The assignment was to interview Nikki Giovanni, these answers are inferred from my own perspective from her works, poems, and books and are not fully accurate.
Ms. Interviewer: O.k first question, what does the term "love" mean to you?
-- Well the term love does not mean to just be married and have a relationship with somebody because i think marriage is inhospitable to women but love is something like a bond, something that can't be broken or taken away. Like the love for my son that i have, that will never be broken or taken away.
Ms.Interviewer: Great. what are some of the positive things about being in love?
--To be perfectly honest, i dont think i have ever been in loveand i dont think that i can explain the feelings of being in love and I have been in love once MAYBE but i can not recall.
Ms.Interviewer: What are some of the negative things?
--I think in a sense of individuality and i think a women should be able to be alone and still be happy and i think love makes a human being more vulnerable and dependent on another person. I think that marriage is like i said before inhospitable to women and we should be able to be individuals and life should not be based on marriage.
Ms.Interviewer: How do you know when you are in love?
--When you follow a routine everyday and then you find that when you meet somebody new and everything you are use to doing is altered i think you are in love and your mind and body are consumed in being in love.
Ms.Interviewer: How important is love to life and/or society?
--Honestly, i dont think that love is important to society except that growing up i was much loved and i think being loved as a child shapes the kind of person you will be as an adult no matter the circumstances(poverty, abuse, etc.).
Ms.Interviewer: If you've never been in love, why do you write poems based on love?
--Just because I have never given my heart to a man does not mean i haven't been in love, I felt unconditional love when i held my son and when i was younger my parents would do anything for me and thats the kind of love i show my child. I love my students whom I have been teaching at Virginia tech since 1987. Society has made love to be just between couples; love can be with mothers, daughters, friends, etc.
Ms.Interviewer: Do you think a near death experience made you love life and cherish it more?
--No, heck no, if it takes a near-death experience for you to appreciate life, you're wasting somebody's time.
Ms.Interviewer:Do you feel lonely because you do not have a husband or other half to complete you?
--No, the key to life is independence. Women do not need men to complete them, women can do more alone then they can do with a man or some "other half", you only have the power to make a difference in yourself.
Ms.Interviewer: So, do you think you will ever marry?
--It'll be somewhat of a miracle, not to say i do not believe in love, but it{marriage} would never play a role in my life. I have accomplished a lot in my lifetime and I do not want to be held back.
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