Lewis+Alexander!

= __Lewis Alexander!__  =

By Brittany Barbee

__**Biography**__  Lewis Grandison Alexander was born on July 4th in the year 1900 in Washington D.C. Though Alexander is known as a poet, he was also a costume designer, and a director of some plays. He poured most of his creativity into poetry. He was best known as a poet in his time. Alexander began writing poetry when he was only seventeen years old. At that time, his speciality was Japenese forms. Alexander's work was featured in many different magazines. He was a member of the Playwritters Circle of Washington D.C. In that group he directed many pagents. Alexander was an active participant among writers just like him. He was very devoted to his work. He loved what he did. He wrote many famous poems. One in particular is "Little Cinderella". This poem was featured in the failed magazine //Fire!!.// He later published a second verse to this poem. Although the magazine failed, this poem was still popular. Lewis Grandison Alexander died after a successful, but not long, life. He did in the year 1945. (http://029c28c.netsolhost.com/bl)   __**Poem**__

Little Cinderella
 I know I’m neat, - Little Cinderella from head to feet. Drinks all night at Club Alabam, - What comes next I don’t give a damn!
 * Look me over, kid!

Daddy, daddy, You sho looks keen! I likes men that are long and lean. Broad Street ain’t got no brighter lights Than your eyes at pitch midnight.

Lewis Grandison Alexander (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/little-cinderella-2/) || __**Analysis**__

My first reactions to this poem was a feeling of confusion. I wasnt quite sure what exactly was going on. I read it again, and then I was kind of shocked. This poem seemed a little out of place for the time period it was written in. After learning a little bit more about Lewis Grandison Alexander, this poem wasnt as shocking to me. Since he was just a teenager when he wrote it, these are the feelings that he could have been feeling. Or maybe something he had seen a lot out in the world. This poem seems to take the structure of free form. There are two stanzas, but there is no rhyming or couplets or anything of the sort. I think free form was the most common form of poetry around this time, and it may still be now. The speaker in this poem seems to be a teenage girl, or a woman in her early twenties. The tone is sort of like persuassion. It sounds like a woman is trying to get a man to notice her. The denotative meaning of this poem is pretty straight forward. Its meaning is exactly what it looks like. There is a woman trying to get the attention of a man. From the use of the word "daddy", we can assume that it is an older man she is trying to get the attention of. The connotative meaning is a little bit more complicated to find. This poem could be about a young artist or musician trying to get the attention of a higher power, or the world. Maybe there isnt even a connotative meaning. Maybe this is a poem that is just as straight forward as it sounds. But this is unlikely. In my perspective, the symbolism is what I mentioned earlier. The speaker is a young or new artist/musician that is trying to get the attention of the world. They want to be noticed and they want to succeed. In life, and with their goal. One poetic device used in this poem is personification. There is a person talking to a person. The woman is trying to get the attention of a man. She wants to be noticed by him. __**Meaning**__

Depending on the way one understands and analyzes this poem, there could be different meanings. In my opinion, the literal denotative meaning could be that of prostitution. The woman in this poem states that she is a "little cinderella". According to the commonly known term of cinderella, she is a beautiful woman. Because in the poem it says that she is a "little cinderella". So we can assume that she is younger. This means that she is probably underage, and trying to get the attention of an older man. If the man decided to hook up with the girl, it would be an illegal situation. On the connotative side, this poem could be about a young or new artist/musician trying to get the attention of the world. The young woman symbolizes the new artist. The older man, "daddy", represents the world. The artist sees the world as intimidating, but something they want the attention of. They try hard to get the attention of the world because it is appealing to them. In the poem, the young woman is trying to get the attention of the man. She finds him attractive, and she wants to get to know him better. This poem shows both connotative and denotative meanings. Depending on the reader, it will mean something different to them then it would to someone else. Everyone sees poetry in their own way. __**Works Cited**__

" BLACK IN TIME ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER FOR BLACK HISTORY & CULTURE - Home." //BLACK IN TIME ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER FOR BLACK HISTORY & CULTURE - Home//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .

"Lewis Grandison Alexander - The Black Renaissance in Washington, DC." //DC Library Labs |//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. "Little Cinderella by Lewis Grandison Alexander."//PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of poems and poets.. Poetry Search Engine//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .