In “The Boys,” Maya Angelou depicts the stark contrast between the peaceful, safe world of her grandmother’s store and the brutal reality of the cruel racist society. Angelou describes having a sense of peacefulness in her grandmother’s store as if opening an unexpected present. She explains when the “used-to-be sheriff” rides up on his horse in a manner she feels a sense of tension. Her observation of “the boys” is they are “ugly, disrespectful, and ungrateful men who would harm any colored person for something he or she never did.” Angelou says that while in her grandmother’s store she feels safe and secure. She states that while her grandmother’s store is a place of peace and comfort, while she and Bailey are feeding the animals, she senses tension when she hears a horse come up the driveway. Angelou runs up to the store trying to figure out what was going on. (MS 1) …show more content…
Angelou watches as the “used-to-be sheriff” rides up to tell her momma that a black man had messed with a white woman and that uncle Willie should lay low for the night. She explains that “the boys” are filled with hate and will burn the clothes off any black person who dare to come near. Angelou states, “the boys” were “men covered with graves dust and age without beauty.” (Citation) Angelou says that even if she were able to speak on Judgement Day, she would not speak about the sheriff’s act of kindness.
Angelou explains that when a black man hears the Klan ride up, they would “scurry” under the houses and hide. She then states that “the boys,” “were ugly, rotten, and old abominations.” At the end of the chapter, Angelou explains being called into the store where they take the potatoes and onions out of the bins. Angelou and Bailey “knocked out the dividing walls to keep them apart” so that their Uncle Willie could climb in. She explains that Uncle Willie gives her his cane with a “fearful slowness.” She then states that after her uncle Willie lays down flat, she and Bailey “covered him with the potatoes and onions” in hopes the Klan would not find him. He moaned the whole night through as if he had, in fact, been guilty of some heinous crime. The heavy sounds pushed their way up out of the blanket of vegetables and I pictured his mouth pulling down on the right side and his saliva flowing into the eyes of new potatoes and waiting here like dew drops for the warmth of
morning.
In her autobiography, Maya Angelou tells the story of her coming into womanhood in the American South during the 1930s. She begins with the story of an incident she had on Easter Sunday in which she’s in church reciting a poem in front of everyone; however, she messes up leaving her unable to finish the poem, so she runs out of the church crying and wets herself. Growing up her parents had a rough marriage, and eventually they got a divorce when Maya was only 3 years old. Their parents send her and her older brother Bailey to live with their grandmother Mrs. Annie Henderson in Staples, Arkansas. Staples is a very rural area and their grandmother owns the only store in the black section of the town, so she is very respected amongst the people
Further, throughout the book, Sadie and Bessie continuously reminds the reader of the strong influence family life had on their entire lives. Their father and mother were college educated and their father was the first black Episcopal priest and vice principal at St. Augustine Co...
“Champion of the World” Review “Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou is a true story of Joe Louis becoming champion of the world. Angelou describes how the fight took place through figurative language and strong, powerful words. Angelou switches from first person point of view to dialogue from the radio announcer and listeners to show the reader thoughts and feelings of people in the story. Maya Angelou captures the audience from the beginning of the story and makes them want to read until the end. One way the Angelou grabs the attention of the reader is by using figurative language.
...s of particular importance to women. Angelou's book, although it is meant for a broad audience, is also concerned with conveying the difficulties of being black and a woman in America. Angelou addresses these issues in such a way that they appeal to all her readers for understanding, and also speak to the particular segment of her audience that she represents.
In an expressive voice, Ms. Angelou paints a memorable picture of a small black community anticipating graduation day fifty-five years ago. She describes the children as trembling "visibly with anticipation" and the teachers being "respectful of the now quiet and aging seniors." Although it is autobiographical, an omniscient voice in the first six paragraphs describes how "they" - the black children in Stamps - felt and acted before the omniscient voice changes to a limited omniscient narration in the seventh paragraph. Her eloquent voice skillfully builds the tension as she demonstrates bigotry destroying innocence.
...fe she really knew and felt deep down to the core of her being what the words truly meant. The words had brought back her hope and pride in herself and in her community. What Leavy had said was a fallacy and they could as they have in the past rise above the world's bigotry. Righteousness returned to Angelou and the entire community; "we were on top again."(841).
During the early 1900’s, the time period in which the story took place, racism was rampant throughout the entire nation. While African Americans technically were equal by law, they were anything but, in action. Laws such as “separate but equal” were used to justify blatant discrimination, laws that were coined as “Jim Crow Laws.” (Wikipedia, Jim Crow Laws) Jim Crow Laws were local and state laws that were used to “legally” discriminate and segregate African Americans. Perhaps the most well-known Jim Crow law of that time was “separate but equal,” a law that opened up the gates to decades of racial tension and discrimination.
In perhaps her most notable work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings “Angelou’s account of her childhood and adolescence chronicles her frequent encounters with racism, sexism, and classism at the same time that she ...
Maya Angelou, a poet and award-winning author, is highly known for her symbolic and life-experienced stories. In her poem Men, she shows the theme of men domination over women, through her personal struggle. She makes her writing appealing and direct to the reader. With the use of various literary devices (similes, metaphor, imagery, and symbolism), sentence length, and present to past tense it helps the readers understand the overall theme in Men.
The joy of the upcoming days getting close-up to a special event of her 8th graduation from Lafayette County Training School in Stamps, Arkansas was the main focus of Maya Angelou’s “Graduation.” A young African American flourishing scholar waiting with excitement and hope for her graduation moment, and to began a new journey in the real world. Angelou implies her overall excitement into the conflicts of issues that shows a reflection of societal problems that still occur in today’s society. It emphasizes how people have to be strong in everyday life as Maya Angelou did with all circumstances; referring to racism. All Maya’s dreams, hopes and expectations to her graduation day were suddenly shut by a white politician man known as Mr. Edward
Maya Angelou celebrates the strength of a young Black woman using imagery, characterization, and symbolism to share her highly personal experiences. Marguerite faces hardships like refusal for service because of her race, a longing for parental affection, and even sexual abuse and rape. Maya ultimately overcomes the oppression given to her race and to her femininity. Once believing she was and ugly caged, she is now the beautiful and free bird clothed with strength.
Angelou uses repetition of words and phrases to emphasize King’s gentle strength and encourage the world to take up her lifelong fight. A sense of importance is imposed when she repeats the stem of her sentences, creating a rhythm compelling to her audience. For instance, the utilisation of “she believed,” said over and over again introduces an idea, while the repeated phrase “I stand here,” puts it into motion. She wraps up her use of anaphoras with the powerful call for action: “I mean to say I want to see…” Repetition is used to stimulate emotion and solidarity in the audience. The word “family” is constantly used, reminding listeners that although they not
Often times in today's society, we stumble upon instances of racism and oppression. About 60 years ago, innocent civilians were poorly treated and ridiculed on a day to day basis during the time of segregation. The courage and strength of those men and women was indescribable. So now we ask ourselves, what was it like? In Maya Angelou's “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” Maya effectively uses multiple writing strategies to bring awareness to the prominently apparent issues of racism and oppression that still exist in our society using imagery, pathos, and strong diction to craft her overall message.
Stamps, Arkansas, as depicted in the book has very little social ambiguity: it is a racist world divided between Black and white, male and female. Maya also characterizes the division as good and evil, and tells of how she witnessed the evil in her world, generally directed at black women, and how it shaped her young life and formed her views into adulthood. (Als 2002). Critic Pierre A. Walker places Angelou's autobiography in the African American writing tradition of political protest. She demonstrates, through her relationship with the black community of Stamps, as well as her appearance of ...
Maya Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928 and passed away on March 28th, 2014. Maya Angelou was 86. She suffered a horrible childhood; filled with discrimination, her parents’ divorce, as well as being sexually assaulted. Despite her childhood, she achieved a lot during her lifetime. Her occupations included: an author, actress, screenwriter, dancer and poet. Of the many poems she wrote “Caged Bird”. The tone, mood, diction, as well as other literary elements are noticeable in the poem. Maya Angelou uses allusions, imagery, and symbolism in her poem to enhance the readers’ experience. In addition to literary elements, real world connections are used to tie her poem to historical content, such as slavery.