The sisterly relationship of two black women is the focus of Lucille Clifton’s poem “sisters.” The poem illustrates the life experiences that the women share as they grow older. From getting ready with each other when they were younger, to raising children together when they got older, these women have been inseparable. I chose this poem to do a reader-response analysis on because of the author and the title. My horizon of expectations, or “what readers valued and looked for in a work”, was formed by my familiarity with Lucille Clifton and her work (Dobie 134). Because Clifton is known for writing poems about black women, I was expecting the poem to describe the relationship between two black women. In addition to the author, the title, “sisters”,…show more content… “sisters” begins with the narrator stating “me and you be sisters” (Clifton line 1). At this moment, I felt that the narrator was speaking directly to me when she said “you.” Although Clifton dedicated this poem to someone, it does not mean that she was the narrator of this poem or that the “you” was referring to her friend. Therefore, I interpreted “you” as meaning me, the reader. Throughout the poem the phrase “me and you” is repeated. This solidified my sisterly relationship to the narrator. With this repetition, I reminded the implied reader, even when the lines “got babies/got thirty-five” came (Clifton lines 17-18). Because I am neither a mother nor thirty-five, this part of the poem could have made me feel disconnected. However, the bond that the narrator established with me earlier in the work kept me…show more content… Even though the narrator intends for me to have a sisterhood with her, I do not want actual relation is to her. No details are provided as the whether or not I am her biological sister, a close female cousin or friendship, or any person of whom she can form a sisterly bond with. Within the poem, the narrator says that “mama laugh and shake her head at/me and you” she does not indicate who the mother belongs to (Clifton lines 13-14). It is not specified as to whether the we share the mother, or if it is only the narrator’s mother. Although I was frustrated by this withheld information from this poem, I later realized the affect it had on sharing the author’s intent. Even though I do not have a sister, I have had experiences that aided me in understanding the message of Clifton’s piece. I have female cousins and friends whom I have established sisterly relationships with. Although all come from the same city, we come from different backgrounds. Some of us grew up in the suburbs, and others in the inner-city. In addition, while we each have different mothers, each mother treats us like we are her own daughter. We are all maturing together and creating life memories as one. We are still sisters, even with our slight
