Comparing Life Doesn't Frighten Me and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
This essay will compare and contrast 'life doesn't frighten' me by
Maya Angelou and 'still I rise' by Maya Angelo the theme of fear and
pride will be explored in this essay. The theme of fear and pride is
discussed in this essay because in one of the poems she is scared of
little things that scare and they is nothing to be scared of like the
dark, but in the other poem pride is the theme because she is proud of
her color.
One of the main similarities between the texts is that the poems both
use repetition. This is displayed in 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
because she says
"Not at all, not at all, life doesn't frighten me at all"
The quotation proves that this is like a chant. She is reassuring
herself that she is not scared however, the repetition ironically
emphasizes that she is actually scared.
Similarly 'still I rise' also uses repetition because she says
"I rise, I rise, I rise"
The evidence above demonstrates that unlike life doesn't frighten me
where the repetition is used to comfort her , in still I rise the
repetition is used to stress her confidence in a brighter future
therefore the poem ends in hope.
However a significant difference between the two poems is that they
are both set in different stages in her life. This is displayed in
'Life Doesn't Frighten Me' because she uses onomatopoeic words like
boo and shoo this highlights that the speaker is a child. "I go boo
make them shoo" the quotation proves that the child is trying to scare
away her fears. Conversely 'still I rise' discourse her adults life
"does my sexiness scare you......
... middle of paper ...
... that no matter what happens she will rise
"I rise, I rise, I rise"
However another significant difference between both texts are talking
about different types of fear this is shown in 'Life Doesn't Frighten
Me' because it is about childhood fear, imagery fear. "Mean old mother
goose, lions on the loose……dragons breathing flame" the quotation
above shows that she is scared of all the things children are scared
of. Conversely in still I rise it is bout discrimination "you may
write me down in history with your twisted lies" the quotation above
shows a negative vision on black people in the history.
In conclusion of the theme of pride and fear is displayed because in
one poem she is growing up through the fear of being bullied and
picked on but in the other she is proud of being black and she is
stronger.
The American Dream has never been available to minority citizens as easily as it is to American-born citizens. Affirmative action was first implemented around the year 1972, however it was not widely accepted or practiced. During this time society was just getting used to including women in higher education institutions so the concept of including minorities in higher education was almost non-existent. My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor shows the challenges that a first generation, Puerto Rican, lower socioeconomic female had during this time. Through her autobiography she shows the struggles she faced throughout her life, focusing on her application to college, college experience and insight into her cultural background. My Beloved World present the ideology of White Supremacy and other phenomenon’s such as structural inequality, and socioeconomic inequality that interfere with Sonia’s inability to receive preparation for college and these things show the that America has not made good on its promise of equal opportunity for all.
and make fun of black elders. And would talk to them any kind of way.
In her essay, “Momma, the Dentist, and me” Maya Angelou describe her insight in remembering an incident of racism. The incident refer to a time when a white dentist named Lincoln did not treat her tooth ace just for being colored “Niggah.” In America no one should be allowed to be a form of prisoner, because of their native skin color. Americans should be held accountable for their actions whenever a color person are in need of help their social life. There should be laws ordinances to prohibit persons from confronting -either verbally or physically -color people for not being a Caucasian person. This conflict in rights between those held by color people and the American people those held by, because American refused freedom rights, endanger lives, and economic issues.
She does a great job at using both of the appeals in “Still I Rise”. Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, an educator, and a poet. Maya Angelou’s constant use of “I” or “my” in her poem is her greatest use of ethos. This poem is her story so she is telling it from experience. For example, when Maya says “Does my sassiness upset you?” (Angelou 5) she draws in the audience by speaking of herself. She lets the audience know that this is a real thing. Another way that Angelou draws in her audience with ethos is when she says “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.” (Angelou 39-40) That quote gives Maya Angelou credibility because she knows the hardships of slavery and racism because of her ancestors and culture. The second and most effectively used rhetorical device used is pathos. The entire poem draws in the audience emotionally, even from the first sentence. I believe she was so great at using pathos because it was from her heart. She lived through it, she went through the pain, and she overcame that pain. She was passionate about what she was writing and you could absolutely feel it just by reading it. A great example of pathos and one of my favorite “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 21-24) Maya’s use of words in this stanza appeals to the audience emotionally. While reading it, you feel like those things are directly happening to you. The other use of pathos that is effective is when she claims that she will rise. It appeals emotionally because it gives the audience hope, strength, and determination that they can rise. The more it’s repeated, the more effective it is. The more you say it, the more that she and the audience believe that it is true. The last example of how this poem appeals emotionally is when she says “Does my
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... overall themes, and the use of flashbacks. Both of the boys in these two poems reminisce on a past experience that they remember with their fathers. With both poems possessing strong sentimental tones, readers are shown how much of an impact a father can have on a child’s life. Clearly the two main characters experience very different past relationships with their fathers, but in the end they both come to realize the importance of having a father figure in their lives and how their experiences have impacted their futures.
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