Maya Angelou

This was probably my real father; found each other at last. But then he rolled over leaving me In a wet place and stood up. ” (Angelo, 71) A multi award winning author and poet, whom once did not speak for many years. With the many poems Maya Angelo has written, three of her most famous poems seem to have a similar symbolism. “Caged Bird”, “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still I rise” all deal with her different thoughts and individuality against the standards of society.

Maya Angelo sees her past experiences and her thoughts as a symbol of being trapped in the image of society. Maya Angelo was born April 28, 1928, in SST Louis, Missouri. Angelo encountered many life difficulties and had to find alternatives to deal with them rather than being imprisoned In her own mind. Angelo experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, but she also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African American family, community, and culture. She was raised with her grandmother trying to cope with the emotional trauma of her mother’s boyfriend raping her.

No one could deal with the mental state Angelo was in, so she had to move to Arkansas. Angelinos secretly admired a childhood mentor, Mrs… Flowers. Mrs.. Flowers reminded Slavery lasted for nearly two centuries. As a slave, it was very important that the slave’s spirit be broken so he can never even think about rebelling against his master. The chains prevented him from his freedom, he “can seldom see through his bars of rage” (Angelo). Often, the slave sang a song, for comfort, or for a potential gateway of freedom.

Some readers say that “Caged Bird” Is written as a reference awards slaves, and the difference between a “Free Bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream”(Angelo) whereas a “Caged Bird sings for a fearful trill of things Angelo uses herself as a symbol of being trapped in “Caged Bird”. Her parents spilt when she was very young, and was raised by her mother and grandmother. It was not until the age of seven when Angelo was raped by her mother’s former boyfriend. She told her uncles, and a few days later her mother’s boyfriend was found dead.

Being that she felt as if her words killed the an, she put herself on a literal mute for several years. She was imprisoned in her own mind, a cage in which she built herself. Throughout the poem she compares a free bird to a caged bird. The Free Bird being someone In society and a caged bird, representing herself, trapped In society. Angelinos voice was “heard on distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom” (Angelo) Angelo to expresses her thoughts of her confidence In “Phenomenal Woman”. As an African American woman during the segregation era, Angelo was definitely faced with much racial discrimination.

Her blue eyes with a petite, super model fugue. The tone of the poem is that of a strong, confident woman who does not bother what society think about her. She finds happiness in her womanhood. She describes what society standards are and her reaction towards their viewpoint on the type of woman she is. She’s “not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size but when I start to tell them, they think I’m telling lies. ” (Angelo) Despite her appearance, her head is not bowed, but her confidence is known in every room she’s in.

We as people identify with our name in many ways. Our name is what connects us to our family, and we are the image that is associated with our name. In the passage, Mrs. Viola’s friend sees a lack of importance in calling Margaret by her actual name, as “that may be, but the name’s too long. I’d never bother myself. I’d call her Mary if I was you. ” In doing this, “Old Speckled-Face,” as Margaret called her, attempts to dehumanize her and exemplifies the standard way of thinking of the common, rich white people in the 60’s and 70’s.

In seeing Margaret’s name as something that doesn’t matter, being that her name is who she is, she therefore makes Margaret ‘not matter’. The author’s indignation toward her employer for impertinently renaming her substantiates Marguerite’s strong sense of self-pride, now revealed in the face of racism. Angelou’s reaction to her Mrs. Viola’s renaming exhibits the subtle forms of resistance that blacks could use.

In a sense, Mrs. Cullinan’s kitchen served as a finishing school for Margaret because black girls “were given as extensive and irrelevant preparations for adulthood as rich white girls shown in magazines. The difference was that many white girls learned about more high-class habits, while black girls learned housekeeping. In being a servant in Mrs. Cullinan’s kitchen, she learns the same things that white girls would learn at finishing school. Angelou describes Mrs. Cullinan’s house as “exact” and “inhuman” to articulate her ideas that white people are very different from black people.

She also makes the assumption that all white people are caddy, shallow, and lonely, based on her experiences with the white ladies on the porch, which may indicate some bias changing the actual story due to racism. At first, Margaret decides that she will write a poem about the tragedy of “being white, fat, old, and without children,” due to the fact that she sees Mrs. Cullinan as living a miserable, pathetic lifestyle. But after standing up for Margaret by insisting her friend address her by the proper name, she finds a new respect for Mrs. Cullinan.

Mrs. Cullinan believes that she has regained control over Margaret, however, she has in fact let go of her symbol of power over Angelou. Mrs. Angelou regains her name, and with that, her sense of self. Though she was treated wrongly by her employer and her snooty friends, Angelou reveals herself to have racist prejudice and a tendency to incorporate them into her writing, as shown in her narrative.

Alliteration

• “Impish elf”

Used to bring the reader’s attention to the fact that this is when Mrs. Cullinan turns into a different person, which is the person that her white friends see Motif

• Repetition of “Mary” and “Margaret”

Used to show the two sides that Angelou struggles with as she fights to maintain her identity in a world of prejudice

Diacope

• “This cup went here and only here”

Used to show how Angelou perceives her employer as being single-minded

Asyndeton

• “There were goblets, sherbet glasses, ice-cream glasses, wine glasses, green glass coffee cups with matching saucers, and water glasses. ”

Used to emphasize the “extensive and irrelevant” things that white people find essential to function living

Maya Angelou Dr. Maya Angelou, born April 24, 1928, was a phenomenal poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist known as one of the greatest voices of renaissance. She experienced harsh racial discrimination throughout her lifetime, and yet in the midst of her trials she never loses self-respect or confidence. Through her powerful delivery of words she dually embodies her captivating personality and demeanor. Altogether, her works are representations of who she is and what she believes in.

Sandra Cookson is the author of an article featured in World Literature Today, published by the University of Oklahoma, who does a wonderful job of illuminating Angelou’s impactful messages that lie within her poem “Still I Rise”. In addition, Kelly Holland Cecil, a student who attended University of North Carolina in 1998, conducted a thorough analysis on many of Angelou’s Poems. Cecil provides a door of understanding as she analytically goes into depth on explaining Dr. Angelou’s poem, “Phenomenal Woman”.

Through careful study and analysis of Angelou’s poetry followed by research obtained from research an understanding of who she was and the message she was trying to get across may be developed. To begin with, Angelou believes that being “phenomenal” does not come from the beauty that is accepted from others but from one’s genuine uniqueness. The persona in “Phenomenal Woman,” portrays a strong, proud woman of modesty and humility which is undoubtedly Angelou. She displays this in the first line of the poem, when she says “Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. The auditor purposely separates herself from the “in-crowd”, which in this case is “pretty women. ” Thus, suggesting that she does not even consider herself as attractive. Then, in line 2 she reassures the auditor of her disposition when she writes “I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size. ” After initially reading these first two lines, it is possible for them to be mistaken for insecurities, but as one reads further, it is clear that Angelou is not ashamed of her individuality but indeed exuberantly modest.

It’s in the reach of my arms The p of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me. After reading the lines above, there is no doubt that the she does not view herself as a woman with model beauty, but, in her perspective, a phenomenal woman. Looking at lines 1-4 above, rather than the traditional looks that are generally accepted from men of female models, she illuminates the less noticeable features of her body that make her unique in a special way.

Although an exact number was unmentioned, she specifically refers to her height in line 3 above. Angelou was an imposing woman standing at about six feet tall(Cecil 1998). This is yet another display of Angelou’s character proving that she is proud of the physical features she has that make her inimitable. Furthermore, the Angelou uses repetition which according to Cecil “helps give the poem a flow and makes it seem more familiar and lyrical. ” The person repeats the following lines at the end of each stanza: I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman

That’s me. Due to Angelou’s history of musicality she incorporates this style of repetition just as a hook or chorus to a song. She does in such a manner that almost forces the auditor to say it with her and eventually acknowledge that she is not a “pretty woman”, but “a phenomenal woman/ phenomenally”. According to Cecil, This may have been influenced by her career as a dancer and as a Broadway actress. Furthermore, Cookson quotes that, “The musical currents of blues and jazz, the rhythm of rap songs, and the language of the Bible mingle in her poems. Through the creativity of similes and imagery in Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” she is able to paint a picture of herself that reveals her as a strong woman of color by displaying her level of determination and perseverance to overcome racial discrimination. In the first stanza of this particular poem, she has an attitude that exemplifies her strong-willed character as she refers to the many things that she has encountered throughout her lifetime. In line 4 of the poem she declares that despite her circumstance “still” like the “dust” of the ground she shall rise.

Thus, proving statements made by Cookson when she writes “… The language of the bible mingle in her poems”. Biblically speaking, God made mankind through the dust of the ground, so in essence Angelou is using imagery to show that just as God made man rise from dust, no matter what force is against her she can still rise up and be triumphant. By taking the lyrics of Angelou’s poem into consideration, one may notice that she expresses herself in a way that corresponds to the harsh discrimination she endured.

In the words of Cookson, Still I rise is “a poem about the survival of black women despite every kind of humiliation… America has subjected them since the days of slavery”(800). With this statement in mind, there should be no question of the auditor in her poem, as it seems to be the predominating white race in America. In the following lines Angelou reveals her strength to tolerate discrimination: You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Angelou’s takes this as an opportunity to convey her feelings towards the discrimination She has endured. In the above stanza, she illuminates that she has been “hated on”, “looked down upon”, and “spoken to harshly” because of her color. But, she doesn’t allow herself to be broken by the circumstances she faces. In any event, she “rises”. By venting on Angelou’s poetry analytically, one can see that her character symbolizes a woman who is strong, tolerant, modest, and perseverant in the face of adversity. In her poem “Still I Rise” she goes on to say “I am the dream and the hope of the slave”.

This is Angelou bold stating that where others have failed, she has prospered because of her perseverance and commitment to herself to be who she is—“A Phenomenal Woman, Phenomenally”. Works Cited Cecil, Kelly Holland. Maya Angelou -1928. 1998. 20 4 2012 <http://www. uncp. edu/home/canada/work/canam/angelou. htm>. Cookson, Sandra. World Literature Today. Vol. Vol. 69. Autumn: World Literature Today, 1995. Penguin Creative. Dr. Maya Angelou, The Official Website . 2012 . <http://mayaangelou. com/bio/>.

Protest texts are portrayed in two different ways, they can ignite aggressive action or they can bring a calm, peaceful vibe. Two of my texts provoke violent actions from their viewers in the form of protests, these are V for Vendetta directed by James Mcteigue and Sleep Now in the Fire by Rise Against. The other two texts are Caged Bird by Maya Angelou and Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Prize speech. These texts incorporate the practise of protesting in a peaceful manor by using words instead of fists.

Malala Yousafzai’s nobel prize winning speech portrays the importance of everybody working together in unity to fight for the basic human rights many people are denied every day. Her speech is made up of past experiences involving her childhood as a young woman rising against the oppressive, violent, dictatorial Pakistan.

Malala exclaims, “We survived. And since that day, our voices have grown louder and louder. Malala’s use of the word ‘we’ includes everyone from her friends and family to the audience of her speech. Similarly to Angelou the motif of using our voice is extremely prevalent in this text. Malala uses her speech to encourage the audience to make use of our voices to speak up in favour of equality for everybody.

Malala also incorporates bird symbolism, similar to Maya Angelou. She thanks her father for “not clipping my wings and letting me fly”. Malala’s father motivated her to spread her wings and fly free, like a bird. This symbolism revolves around the fact that birds do what they have to do without anything being able to get in their way as they will just keep flying, right past any problems.

This relates to Malala’s struggles in getting to where she is today, as a symbol of peace and equality. Clipping a bird’s wings is the act of making a bird unable to fly, or symbolically, taking away its freedom and limiting its potential. This shows that her father was not trying to hold her back or force her into giving into the system put in place in Pakistan.

Instead he was lifting Malala up, teaching her how to fly so she could be the symbol of an uprising against this oppressive regime. By using her voice and being able to fly like a bird Malala was able to become a well known face of freedom and equality all over the world. She quickly went from being a young girl in the dangerous place of Pakistan to a great piece of the puzzle used to solve one of the biggest problems that we face in today’s society.

Maya Angelou’s poem, Caged Bird links back to the mindless oppression that the African-Americans were subjected to in the past. Maya uses this text to expose the contrast between the ways of life of a white person compared to a coloured person. Similarly to Malala, Maya uses the symbol of a bird to show her thoughts to the readers, she writes, “A free bird leaps… and floats downstream… and dares to claim the sky”. And “A bird that stalks… can seldom see through his bars or rage, his wings are clipped”.

The free bird owns the skies while the caged bird is trapped by the “bars of rage”. A relevant theme of this text is the racial discrimination between the whites and the coloured. Maya uses the “Free bird” as a symbol of the dominating whites and the “Caged bird” as the coloured races. The free bird seemingly effortlessly “Floats downstream” while the caged bird has its wings clipped.

This alludes to the fact that coloured people are treated differently and worse than white people, they have their wings clipped and rights taken away by the white races. When the free bird “Dares to claim the sky” this portrays the colonialist ideology of white people in the past. Maya also makes use of the same motif as Malala, that is using your voice to express yourself. She writes “