I chose the character Uncle Willie from the book Maya Angelou. The reason why I chose this character was that he was one of those people that are really nice but always changed in order to fit in. In the book he was the uncle of Maya Angelou, when he was a child he became crippled. He had a stutter in his voice and he always leaned forward. When he sat his back made a, “Z” shape. He was tall and black, and the left side of his face drooped as if he had a pulley system on the side of his jaw. When he was taking care of Maya he grabbed her by the collar, put her over the heated pot and said repeat your times tables. Showing that he cares about her education and her future. Uncle Willie wants to fit in and tries to fit in, but he tries to pretend
Willie, the antagonist of the story accidentally makes Bobby overcome his fears and stand up to him. In a way Willie could be a protagonist because he helps Bobby overcome his fears. Willie is a crazy person that doesn't know what he is doing.
The short story “Momma’s Encounter” by Maya Angelou has a substantial purpose. This story was all about morals. Growing up in the 1930’s was not easy because of the great depression, families were fighting to put food on the table and provide for their young. Also in the late 1930’s we were getting ready for World War II. However we as a country are still fighting the longest war that still goes on today and that is racism. Racism is another key role in this short story and has a very powerful meaning.
This piece of autobiographical works is one of the greatest pieces of literature and will continue to inspire young and old black Americans to this day be cause of her hard and racially tense background is what produced an eloquent piece of work that feels at times more fiction than non fiction
"I had decided that St. Louis was a foreign country. In my mind I had only stayed there for a few weeks. As quickly as I understood that I had not reached my home, I sneaked away to Robin's Hood's Forest and the caves of Alley Oop where all reality was unreal and even that changed my day. I carried the same shield that I had used in Stamps: 'I didn't come to stay.'"
"Angelou, Maya (née Marguerite Annie Johnson)." Encyclopedia of African-american Writing. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 12 March 2014.
Maya Angelou lived through a time where she was discriminated against for not only her race but also her gender. In her poem “Still I Rise” Angelou sarcastically talks about how no matter what is thrown at her she will rise above it and she will do it with resilience and confidence. Her poem discusses racism and sexism and gives minorities and women a sense of hope to overcome and endure both of those things. Angelou’s self-assurance in the poem makes you believe that you too can overcome whatever obstacle. Although this poem was intended for blacks, and women, and specifically black women, the poem helps build up strong and courageous people no matter what race or gender you are. Maya Angelou in “Still I Rise” uses both pathos and ethos to
This character has helped me in many situations, which as mentioned earlier, proves difficult to narrow down to one instance. When I was younger, this character told me to join Boy Scouts in first grade. At the time it just seemed like a fun thing to do, but the lessons I learned throughout the now ten or so years are invaluable to me. Scouts in fact shaped my character to be polite and kind, helpful and friendly, and self-sufficient. My character grew then to contain another pillar, leadership. This leadership made me an Eagle Scout in 2013 and led to make a decision that ultimately challenged my character and run for class president for my tenth and eleventh grade year. My character told to fight for one cause, for one source of my happiness and motivation and that was my classmates. Character allowed me to make that decision that I do not and will not ever regret, not for one
Throughout life we go through many stepping stones, Maya Angelou's autobiographical essay "Graduation", was about more than just moving on to another grade. The unexpected events that occurred during the ceremony enabled her to graduate from the views of a child to the more experienced and sometimes disenchanting views of an adult. Upon reading the story there is an initial feeling of excitement and hope which was quickly tarnished with the abrupt awareness of human prejudices. The author vividly illustrates a rainbow of significant mood changes she undergoes throughout the story.
The early 1930’s a time where segregation was still an issue in the United States it was especially hard for a young African American girl who is trying to grow and become an independent woman. At this time, many young girls like Maya Angelou grew up wishing they were a white woman with blond hair and blue eyes. That was just the start of Angelou's problems though. In the autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou goes into great depth about her tragic childhood, from moving around to different houses, and running away and having a child at the age of 16. This shows how Maya overcame many struggles as a young girl.
In every community, there’s always one person who seems kind at first, but turns out to be not who you expected them to be. Shirley Jackson’s story, “The Possibility of Evil”, gives an example of this type of person. Miss.Strangeworth has loved in the same town, on Pleasant Street, all seventy-one years of her life. Miss.Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by considered by what she says or does, what the narrator says about her, and how other characters interact with her.
She was raped, had a son at age 17, and had one of her closest friends assassinated on her birthday. Yet, despite all of these terrible things she is still one of the most inspirational American poets to ever live. Maya Angelou uses the misfortune from her life to her advantage in her poetry because it causes her to write very passionately on topics she has personally gone through, and how she continues to be a strong woman and stay confident in herself. Poet Maya Angelou’s writing was created to inspire hope and confidence in the face of conflict, particularly for African American women. This theme is shown clearly in three of Angelou’s poems, “Phenomenal Woman”, “Still I Rise”, and “Million Man March Poem”.
Every child searches for individuality; what makes everyone unique? As a child, surroundings will shape who a person becomes. So a child raised in secure suburbs might be more trusting than a child who lives in a large city. Different environments will without a doubt put people in uncomfortable and sometimes unfortunate circumstances. Environment as a whole is what affects how a child behaves, thinks, and reacts to certain situations. In the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou exposes her own struggle to find identity as she endured racial hardships and sexual abuse.
The fictional character I see in myself the most would be Lilly Okanakurama from the movie Pitch Perfect. You may not remember Lilly but trust me you know her, she is the quiet little Asian girl that absorbed her twin in the womb. Now I am a twin but luckily mine is alive I have not absorbed her and I am also not Asian, but being a twin is not the only reason why I believe I relate to Lilly.
Marguerite Anne Johnson, better known as Maya Angelou, was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born and raised in an era that involved the Great Depression and World War I. When her parents divorced at a young age, she and her brother were sent to live with her grandmother in a heavily racially segregated Stamps , Arkansas. She found solace in her brother, Bailey, in the hard times produced by the South. This segregation was severe in this era, especially for shy young Marguerite. Throughout her childhood, she was sent from her grandmother to her father and mother. All these different environments exposed Angelou to a series of experiences including: racism, segregation, music, and politics. These experiences were most likely what prompted her to chronicle her life through autobiographical works as well as poems. In these works, Angelou utilizes elements such as literary devices, poetic devices, allusions, recurring themes and symbols to portray
The poem "Phenomenal Woman is a poetic poem that women can relate to. It is a celebration of womanhood and femininity It expresses the jealousy, difference, and attitude that women see towards each other and how mean persee them. Every stanza is filled with explanations on how a woman should be confident with the way she looks and reveals woman 's attributes as a phenomenal woman. Angelou tries to show her confidence by stating the body parts that show that confidence and inner strength. This can be seen every line of the poem. This shows her strong self-confidence when expressing the way she feels personally about herself. She shows that even though she is not the cute, petite, women that modern society deems as highly valuable, women do not have to look like a model to consider themselves beautiful, worth looking at. Women today put themselves down because they