Analyzing Maya Angelou's 'Graduation'

In Maya Angelou’s gloomy “Graduation” essay she asserts that the significance of that moment allowed her to outpace the discrimination and stereotypes of the 1940’s. Angelou develops her claim by the use of imagery, transparent diction and pathos. Angelou's purpose is to draw forth the discrimination and stereotypes put into black people in the 1940’s in order to notify the effects that this might cause. This essay is not directed towards a specific type of audience but to a general one. Angelou’s use of imagery connects the reader to the moment of her graduation.

The power of language and its ability to deconstruct and reconstruct not only the individual’s identity but also a community’s identity is the overall main point in Maya Angelou’s “Graduation” piece. Angelou is able to capture this in her writing through her personal experience, and also simultaneously by using the example of American society’s social infrastructure which can limit opportunities for people of color, specifically the black community. After Edward Donleavy, a white politician during the late 30’s/ early 40’s, had spoken down on the students from Lafayette Country Training School, down on their black community, a sense of defeat filled the auditorium. Angelou’s simile, “the man’s dead words fell like bricks around the auditorium and too many settled in my belly.” (Language Acts,

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.

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 awareness of human prejudices. The author vividly illustrates many mood changes she undergoes throughout the story.

I'm going to be analyzing the short story, New Directions, By Maya Angelou. It's a story with a strong theme of courage. A book that reminds us that we can still make a name for ourselves, even if we have to do it alone. I'll be discussing a few of the key elements of the story such as the plot, setting, and mood in this analysis.

Throughout the years, sports have become a major part of society. Sports, a large percentage of the time, are a part of peoples’ lives in one way or another. Whether they participate in them or just enjoy watching them, sports are a big deal to the majority of people. There are also some individuals who have redefined the expectations when it comes to certain sports. For instance, Babe Ruth redefined the way people think about baseball, or Michael Jordan completely changing the game of basketball. But Joe Louis and Venus and Serena Williams have changed their games in a way no one could have imagined. Although “Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou and “Woman Who Hit Very Hard and How They’ve Changed Tennis” by Michael Kimmelman are different, they are similar in the ways they show how the respected athletes, Joe Louis and the Williams sisters, changed the game and were seen using symbolism in racial and sexual progression.

Numerous individuals, incorporating some who work in the field of post-premature birth recuperating, are hesitant to concede that men can be considered casualties of fetus removal, yet Arthur Shostak, a Professor of Sociology at Drexel University, says that one of the biggest stuns that sexually dynamic young fellows experience is the stun that originates from listening to their sex accomplice say: "The test is back and we're pregnant and I'm going to have a premature

Graduation is often a time of celebration for not only those graduating, but for the family members and friends of those going through the ceremonial transition. The children in Stamps, Arkansas that are graduating alongside Marguerite Johnson know that they’re celebrating more than just that. Upon reading the story, Angelou reveals the initial feelings of excitement and hope for everyone’s future; Those feelings quickly overwhelm with disappointment due to human prejudices. In Maya Angelou’s, “Graduation”, Marguerite Johnson’s ultimate feeling of pride in her academic achievements and approaching graduating is confronted when the commencement speaker delivers an undermining speech that addressed his stereotypical views of African-Americans

“no shade and no trees” (Roberts 350) showing the barrenness of aborting the child. Hemingway

The words a person speaks depends on the individual’s character. Words create either a positive or negative atmosphere. Most people base their self-worth off of the opinions of others. A person’s word choice can influence another person’s future. When an individual hears discouraging comments about themselves, their confidence lowers, however, when a person hears uplifting and encouraging compliments, their confidence rises. These ideas appear multiple times throughout Maya Angelou’s, “Graduation Day”. The story refers to a young girl graduating the eighth grade. Maya Angelou encountered many people who challenged her personal growth because of the words spoken to her. Although common belief states words have no power, words have the power to influence an audience.

In the idealistic “American fantasy,” after a celibate relationship and a chaste marriage ceremony, the good-Christian couple would force themselves to have promiscuous relations in order to conceive an heir to their wonderful ranch property. And it is seen in this that the women, who are used as a carrier for the man’s children, are solely utilized as a fertilizing ground for man’s sperm. But, thankfully, this is not always the case. Most commonly, the woman is without a male counterpart and, given the woman wants to have children, she would need to go to a Cryobank. But it is 2015. In this forward-thinking society, the infertility of women has been recognized and is a fixable issue. And while this helps families and women who are in debt

Marguerite gains a sense of acceptance and security when her nonjudgmental peers openly welcome her into their group. Without question, they validated her story and gave her the rules and regulations of living with them. The group’s favorable reception “dislodged the familiar insecurity” and “set a tone of tolerance for [her] life.” Living a life of chaos and abandonment, these children acted more civilized than those who lived in a more controlled surrounding. Maya was put in a comfortable position, given a portion of responsibility but weaved into the bond of trust, shielding her from the efforts of having to prove her worthiness. I am most comfortable in a lax social setting because the aura is so laidback and casual. Carefree and

Relationships can be difficult, but a lot of couples work through the difficultly by supporting and helping each other. In the short story “Hills like White Elephants”, written by Ernest Hemingway, an unnamed American and a young woman, named Jig, are waiting for a train to arrive. Set in the mid-1920s, the couple are sitting at a bar drinking beers, and awaiting to travel to their next destination. Talking vaguely with each other, Jig describes the hills as “white elephants”, meaning an unwanted gift. During the story, the couple discuss an ‘operation’ that the man wants the girl to have, but she doesn’t to want to, symbolizing wanting to keep their unborn child. In this story, “Hills like White Elephant”, the theme is the ending of a relationship, by the of lack of communication, selfishness and choices.

The children, on the other hand, have come together as their own type of family in search for their father. This highlights the long-run impact that sperm donation can have on the offspring, who struggle with finding their own identities and believe that the discovery of their own biological fathers could help with the missing puzzle

In her poem “Phenomenal Woman,” Maya Angelou is stating that the world’s view on beautiful women, or how they should look like, is ridiculous. She is not saying that directly, however, it is undeniable that her irony is present in this poem regarding beauty standards. Angelou speaks as a self-confident woman. She wants the world to know that what makes her unique and beautiful is her self-confidence, challenging stereotypes stating that as a woman, she is capable of surpassing preconceived expectations of beauty formed because of racism and sexism. Many of the beauty standards in the world may seem unattainable, they can be quite overwhelming for women who do not fit in the specific mold society has shaped for them for beauty, and women are constantly told what beauty is. Moreover, it is known that beauty standards have changed throughout history, and nowadays, beauty standards across the world prove beauty is what people make it. So how did these standards change throughout history?