Good Times analysis

209. Good Times (page 277)


Throughout the poem, the line "good times" is repeated to emphasize the good times the family is currently experiencing.  The line implies that the family just came out of a bad period in their lives and are ready to move on.  Another form of repetition is how the speaker talks of each of his family members and what they have to show for creating a better lifestyle.  The first two stanzas have repetition in their beginning lines with, "My Daddy has paid the rent" and "My Mama has made bread."  The speaker's father has gotten to the point of "good times" by paying off the rent and his mother has made bread as an act of celebration.  The word "and" is also repeated at the beginning of multiple lines to represent the excitement of the speaker and his family.  For example, the lines "and the insurance man is gone/and the lights is back on" contain that form of repetition that adds to the relieved feeling and overall tone of the poem.


The diction and repetition create the tone of the poem.  Once again, in the lines "and the insurance man is gone/and the lights is back on," the words "gone" and "back on" display how the family is relieved and glad that they can move on from their past.  Along with relief, there is also excitement in the poem as shown in the lines "and everybody is drunk/and dancing in the kitchen/and singing in the kitchen."  "Drunk," "dancing," and "singing," contribute to the celebratory tone.  As a result of the father paying off the rent and the lights coming back on, the family can now celebrate their path to a better future and finally relax for a while. 


The message conveyed in the poem is to enjoy the good times as soon as they come and make them last.  The family in the poem seems as though they have not had a good time in a long time.  Right after their difficult period of time is over, they do not hesitate when it comes to celebrating their escape from that life.  Everyone is happy and excited and can live in the moment with no worries.  However, the last line of the poem, "oh children think about the good times," represents that good times do not always remain good.   Everything changes and it is really easy to go from good to bad in a second.  The last line is a reminder to focus on the good times even when going through more difficult times.  If people only focus on the bad, then there will never be any hope for the good aspects of life.  I believe that the poem suggests that when there comes an opportunity to celebrate good times, take it, and remember how good it feels so that when hard times hit again, there will only be determination to get back to those good times.