In Clifton’s poem it progresses from Clifton’s family living in not so good times then after certain things have been dealt with such as the rent being paid, the insurance man gone and the lights are back on then the good times begin. The fact that Clifton says that the rent has been paid leads me to believe that it has been an issue and Clifton family has been trying to reconcile. Rent can also be perceived as the owning of a property and also the security of having your own living space. Without paying the rent the Clifton’s would not have a home to live in and thus forth there would be no good times.

Another way that Clifton shows those times were not so good is by saying that the insurance is gone, meaning that the insurance must have been bothering them for payment that they owed. Insu

Clifton also puts emphasis at the end of stanza that these were the in fact the “good times” of her youth. Repetition plays a major role in Clifton's poem of highlighting the significance of the happier times in her youth. Moreover, it also hints that there were points in time where she and her family were not in good financial standing. The word good times in the poem also represents the negative aspects of her life such as “the insurance man is gone and the lights are back on.” The word “Good Times” represents the curve ball that life sometimes throws us; however the how the batter perceives the pitch is of utter importance in “Good Times.”

Lucielle Clifton use repetition in “good times” to emphasize her point on how bad things were before her uncle “hit one dollar straight”. The fact that Lucille Clifton uses repetition means that she is trying to show how much these moments affected her throughout her life. In stanza number 9 Clifton says that “my mama has made bread” she wants to emphasize the luxury that she has of eating bread so she repeats good times afterward.

Some topics in this essay:
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