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Phenomenal woman maya angelou poem analysis
Note or analysis of maya angelou poem
Phenomenal woman maya angelou poem analysis
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Old Folks Laugh Poetry Explication Laughing through the pain is a phrase that is pretty common. A lot of times in life, it is easier to laugh, pretending to be happy than to mope around and be depressed. Growing older however, means these fake laughs become more genuine and easier than before. In the poem “Old Folks Laugh” by Maya Angelou, she shows how and why old folks laugh. Angelou is a famous author, activist, and poet from 1928-2014. In “Old Folks Laugh” she uses multiple poetic devices such as similes, metaphors, imagery and juxtapositions to enhance the poem. A common and clever way for poets to make things easier for the reader to understand is by using similes or metaphors. The first stanza of this poem talks about how older people laughed when they were younger compared to how they laugh now. Lines 1-6 say, They have spent their content of simpering, holding their lips this and that way, winding the lines between their brows. What Maya Angelou is …show more content…
I think Angelou does this to paint an image in our mind using visual imagery. She probably also wanted to emphasise that yes, they are old, but it doesn’t keep them from enjoying life and being happy. The part about knowing the best and worst of remembering is probably trying to get the point across that when you get older, you aren’t going to remember “normal” or unimportant things. You’re going to remember the best and worst things that have happened to you. The last two lines, when it talks about their laps being filled with memories, is supposed to symbol grandkids sitting in their laps. The last stanza of this poem is the most heart-warming in my opinion because even though it talks about death, it is in a very comforting way. Angelou writes in lines 20-23, When old folks laugh, they consider the promise of dear painless death, and generously forgive life for happening to
It shows that similes have to be compared universally so everyone can understand. This poem is a really funny read and I
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker starts by telling the reader the place, time and activity he is doing, stating that he saw something that he will always remember. His description of his view is explained through simile for example “Ripe apples were caught like red fish in the nets of their branches” (Updike), captivating the reader’s attention
When writing poetry, there are many descriptive methods an author may employ to communicate an idea or concept to their audience. One of the more effective methods that authors often use is linking devices, such as metaphors and similes. Throughout “The Elder Sister,” Olds uses linking devices effectively in many ways. An effective image Olds uses is that of “the pressure of Mother’s muscles on her brain,” (5) providing a link to the mother’s expectations for her children. She also uses images of water and fluidity to demonstrate the natural progression of a child into womanhood. Another image is that of the speaker’s elder sister as a metaphorical shield, the one who protected her from the mental strain inflicted by their mother.
Throughout life graduation, or the advancement to the next distinct level of growth, is sometimes acknowledged with the pomp and circumstance of the grand commencement ceremony, but many times the graduation is as whisper soft and natural as taking a breath. In the moving autobiographical essay, "The Graduation," Maya Angelou effectively applies three rhetorical strategies - an expressive voice, illustrative comparison and contrast, and flowing sentences bursting with vivid simile and delightful imagery - to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination.
“If youth but had the knowledge and old age the strength,” (Proverb). Remember sitting on the porch swing with grandpa and listening to him rant and rave about what seemed utterly irrelevant? What about the time that you got backhanded for rolling your eyes at crazy Mrs. Roberts when she would preach ‘life lessons’ at you? However, with age, it has become more and more apparent that maybe Mrs. Roberts wasn’t that far off from what is really the problems most fail to see. In today’s generation, the elderly have often been put on the back burner when they shouldn’t be. Although at times it might seem like the young are utterly invincible, the harsh truth is that there is so much knowledge we are yet to possess, residing within our elders. In Rudolfo Anaya’s A Celebration of Grandfathers, we see just how important Grandpa’s extraneous rants actually were.
For example, in lines 5 through 7, Angelou use imagery to describe the sky the free bird gets to fly through: “and dips his wing in the orange sun rays and dares the claim the sky”. By incorporating this detail about the sun and the sky, it adds depth the the scene and creates dimension. This allows the audience to really sense the beauty the free bird gets to experience. Angelou also uses personification to add depth to the poem: “his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing” (11). Cage bars can’t really be angry and birds can’t really sings, but by including these touches of personification it creates emotion and action to the poem. The audience can picture a bird chirping a tune making music, one note at a time to create a song. The most interesting literary device Angelou includes is the oxymoron added to line 27, “But a caged bird stand on the grave of dreams”. By incorporating this oxymoron, Angelou is adding a reference to death. This contradicting sentence refers to dreams being crushed and not being fulfilled. All of these literary devices Angelou incorporates throughout the poem helps create more dimension to get the message
On the surface the poem seems to be a meditation on past events and actions, a contemplative reflection about what has gone on before. Research into the poem informs us that the poem is written with a sense of irony
There are a couple of similes the author uses in the poem to stress the helplessness she felt in childhood. In the lines, “The tears/ running down like mud” (11,12), the reader may notice the words sliding down the page in lines 12-14 like mud and tears that flowed in childhood days. The speaker compares a...
The message from Angelou's poem is to tell people that no two are exactly alike, but they are more similar than different. In stanza nine the author says We are more alike, my friends,than we are unalike. This show that the author states people have more in common. In stanza eight the author states that in minor ways we are different in major we are the same. In other words the author says we are more alike than we think. In stanza seven and eight the author says we in almost every line for example, we love and lose in China. This shows that the author states we all love and lose in China which means we all have something in common.
Early on, poetry was often used with rhyme to remember things more accurately, this still rings true today, even though its use is more often to entertain. However, although it appeals to both the young, in children's books, and the old, in a more sophisticated and complex form, people are bound to have different preferences towards the different styles of poetry. Dobson’s poetry covers a variation of styles that captivate different individuals. “Her Story” is a lengthy poem with shorter stanzas. It’s free verse structure and simplistic language and face value ideas might appeal better to a younger audience. This poem includes quotes with informal language that children or teens would better understand. It’s narrative-based style is easy to follow, and although the poem covers very basic concepts, it’s message is still communicated subliminally. This particular poem is interesting because it focusses on the universal experience of pain and it’s relation to time. Similar to this is “The Householder”, written in a cyclical style, opening with a “house” and ending with a “home”. With only three stanzas, it is
To begin, the episodic shifts in scenes in this ballad enhance the speaker’s emotional confusion. Almost every stanza has its own time and place in the speaker’s memory, which sparks different emotions with each. For example, the first stanza is her memory of herself at her house and it has a mocking, carefree mood. She says, “I cut my lungs with laughter,” meaning that...
... Therefore, instead of losing mental stability because of old memories, one should try to embrace sanity and perpetuate it in life. Moreover, the poem emulates society because people fantasize about looking a certain way and feeling a certain way; however, they are meddling with their natural beauty and sometimes end up looking worse than before. For instance, old men and women inject their faces to resemble those in their youth, but they worsen their mental and physical state by executing such actions. To conclude, one should embrace her appearance because aging is inevitable.
The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and
The speaker in the poem uses images to help to support the theme. For example the statement that "sometimes the woman borrowed my grandmother's face" displays the inability of the children to relate the dilemma to themselves, something that the speaker has learned later on with time and experience. In this poem, the speaker is an old woman, and she places a high emphasis on the burden of years from which she speaks by saying "old woman, / or nearly so, myself." "I know now that woman / and painting and season are almost one / and all beyond saving by children." clearly states that the poem is not written for the amusement of children but somebody that has reached the speaker's age, thus supporting the idea of the theme that children cannot help or understand her or anybody of her age. In addition, when the speakers describes the kids in the classroom as "restless on hard chairs" and "caring little for picture or old age" we can picture them in our minds sitting, ready to leave the class as soon as possible, unwilling and unable to understand the ethics dilemma or what the speaker is feeling.
The start of the poem shows how the narrator sees the world. For example, when the narrator says, "Laugh, and the world laughs with you;/ Weep, and you weep alone;" (1-2). This part of the poem made me think of the new currently. The news is only filled with tragic stories on terrorist attacks, or how a plane crashed killing hundreds. Many look at the world as see nothing but evil. Notice the good in the world took not just the negativity that seems to surround our very breath. Positivity is a great factor in life, and because of this negativity is not favored.