What remains a day of joy, anticipation, and worry for many young individuals? Graduation day! In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation Day”, Angelou narrates the story of her eighth-grade graduation and the myriad of emotions this Graduation elicits. Throughout her memoir, Angelou discloses the impression of underlying oppression received throughout the graduation speech delivered by a high profile white man named Mr. Edward Donleavy. Throughout his speech, Donleavy passive aggressively suggests that black
Are encouraging words the uniting force when fighting injustice? In “Graduation Day,” Maya Angelou addresses how encouraging words affected the injustice she faced as a child. Angelou informs her audience about the influence encouraging words had on her and the people in her community. These uplifting words united her community in a time of overwhelming bias. Encouraging words unite oppressed people to fight injustice. Spiritual words unite communities to fight injustice and practice in good works
history since colonial times. In her essay “Graduation,” Maya Angelou recollects the experience of her eighth grade graduation in the 1930s to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination. Through narrative structure, selection of detail, and use of imagery, Angelou encourages young blacks to follow their ambitions with pride, despite what the “white man” thinks of them. Through her narrative structure, Angelou aspires for young black students to maintain
Analysis: Chapters 1–5 The lines from the poem Maya cannot finish, “What are you looking at me for? I didn’t come to stay . . .” capture two of the most significant issues she struggles with in her childhood and young adulthood: feeling ugly and awkward and never feeling attached to one place. First, Maya imagines that though people judge her unfairly by her awkward looks, they will be surprised one day when her true self emerges. At the time, she hopes that she will emerge as if in a fairy-tale
to take on the challenges and the opportunities that await. I had a choice to walk away, or to apply the “No Matter What Theory.” A true leader will adapt to any circumstances, to rise to the top as a transformational leader. In the words of Maya Angelou, “I will rise.” Marist Creates “No Matter What” Leaders Prior to starting Marist, my leadership skills were not developed. With the cognitive tools that Marist is providing me with, I am now on my way to becoming a transformational
Ever since I was a little girl, father always told me that I was going to do “great things” with my life. I suppose that he was right. It became increasingly noticeable, as early as Kindergarten, that I possessed an intellectual skill set that was slightly more advanced than my fellow peers. I remember my teachers paying special attention to me and even using my schoolwork as an example for the rest of the class. My parents would constantly brag about me to their friends and coworkers. And at the