Maya Angelou Analysis

I know that he’s always watching me now. I was living life just as normally as the other 10 year old. That was until my grandpa had been acting up in the following weeks of my 11th birthday, he was not being his normal self. He underwent a CT scan in early December, and it revealed a tumor on his brain. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor and lost his beautiful, prized hair. Not many men could grow hair like he could. He was recovering well from surgery, and according to the doctors, he would have 6-12 months to live. All was well I was until I was in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a hockey tournament with my PeeWee A team 6 weeks later. My father had received a call from my mother, who was my grandpa’s daughter. She told him that a tumor had regrown behind one of his eyes, and it was the size of a softball. They had no choice but to put him on life support because the tumor rendered him brain dead, and let everyone say their goodbyes. “Feed the good wolf,” was something he would always say to us kids. He loved that saying. He lived by it. I lost the man I wanted (and still strive to) be like. He was the perfect grandfather, and although his life was taken from him at the age of 63 by some horrible disease, he lived a full life. On the dark, candle lit night of January 14th, 2012, I realized how precious life is, and I chose to “Live Like Larry.”

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.

Influence is a key trait needed to be a strong leader and Mrs. Flowers shows what positive influence can do to someone who is in turmoil. Maya Angelou is a young black girl living in the Stamps in her biography “I know Why a Caged Bird Sings” and while in the Stamps meets Mrs. Bertha Flowers. At this time in the story Maya has gone through a tragic event in her life and has gone into a state of silence. When Maya saw Mrs. Flowers for the first time she felt hopeful as she also states “Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first life line.”(93) this shows that Mrs. Flowers plays a major role in Maya Angelou’s life and she plays this role by being both a mentor and a person Maya can relate too. Bertha’s last name is ironically appropriate to the situation because of the setting that is taking place at this time in Maya’s life.

“You have tried to destroy me and although I perish daily I shall not be moved,” (Angelou, 2014), says Maya Angelou in her Commencement speech to the 1992 Spelman College graduates. Poet and award-winning author, Maya Angelou, is most well known for her poetry, essay collection, and memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou happened to be the first black female cable car conductor who later started a career in theatre and music (Maya Angelou: Poet and Historian, n.d.). Once her acting and musical career began to take off, Angelou began touring with productions and released her first album Miss Calypso (Maya Angelou Fast Facts, 2017). Later, Angelou earned a Tony Award nomination for her role in the play Look Away and an Emmy Award nomination for the work she performed in the television mini-series Roots (Maya Angelou: Poet, Civil Rights Activist, Author, Activist, 2017). Angelou was also the first African American woman to have her screenplay produced (Maya Angelou: Poet, Civil Rights Activist, Author, Activist, 2017). Out of the number of poetry collections Angelou published, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die happened to be her most famous collection that was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize (Maya Angelou: Poet, Civil Rights Activist, Author, Activist, 2017). The focus of this paper is to critique Angelou’s credibility, sincerity, and appeal to her whole audience in her delivery during the Spelman Commencement Address in 1992.

I patted him on the head as he layed on his bed, I didn’t want to come to the realization it was the last time I would see him and his smiling face. He had helped me become the person I am today.

Her name was Beatriz; she had something about her that anyone who met this woman would slowly start to see how exquisite of a person she was. Beatriz had a compassionate personality about everyone around her. She was gone within six months, through these unruly situations we must find a way to cope. Mine was recalling old memories we shared, moreover; this didn’t distract me from what was happening.

A few days later is his funeral, as I look at him I see a wonderful person who has been hurt and didn’t deserve this at all. His face was pale, he had a black suit on with a white handkerchief in the pocket closest to his unbeating heart. It didn’t even look like him. As he layed there in the brown faded coffin I knew he was gone for real this time. He looked peaceful more peaceful than what he looked like when he was alive. As I sit here in the pew closest to the door, I wonder why he would he do

On monday I attended his funeral. This was the hardest day in my entire life, I had lost my favorite person and had to sit in a cold, hard chair, and watch his casket lower into the ground. He had a beautiful air force ceremony, with the folding of the flag, and farewell son played on the trumpet. Hot tears streamed down my face as I realized I would never hear his voice again, smell his strong Aramis cologne, or be able to give him one last hug. No longer will I get to see him pull up to my house in his cherry red Jaguar, or hear is over exaggerated stories at christmas. I will never be able to cuddle up to him while eating his beloved spice drops and watching PGA tour, as the burning fire embers die down. I will always keep my memories of him close to my heart and remember his best days. Living a life without my grumppop will be one of the hardest journeys I will have to go through but because I live in the moment and try to remember every single detail of our lives together, I know that he will always be with me. How I remember all my experiences so vividly because I lived in the moment with him.I made sure that i wasn't always on my phone when I was around him and made sure I was never distracted so that I could give all my time to him. I know now more than ever that living in the moment is so important because now those memories i had with him, are all that I have left and I will never be able to experience them again.

I had drawn a picture for him. It was a colorful heart. It said “To Poppop, From Eva.” I set it on his chest and said a small prayer. I do not usually say prayers, so this was special for only him. I loved him with all my heart. I loved him to the moon and back. This was my families saying. I cried while saying my small prayer. After a while I finally stopped crying just to start again. When we got back to our hotel, I was given the picture I had put on my grandfather’s chest. I was a mix of anger and sadness. I still have that image to this day. I cherish it. A memory of my Poppop. We have a compartment in our home that holds his ashes. I still cry sometimes. At night so no

Richard played baseball growing up and was currently pitching at the Perkinston campus at the time. He always made sure that I had a smile on my face even if he tortured me with the “stinky sock” which came fresh off of his foot. He was always there when I just simply needed somebody. He was somebody that I knew I could count on no matter what. Richard loved God, family, teammates, and friends. He was a very social person who would do anything to help somebody or just to see somebody smile. He loved to fish and to just simply be outdoors. Our last family vacation was the Christmas before the accident happened and we all went to Disney World. The time at Disney World was very magical because I felt like I was an absolute princess. One afternoon, I was just a little cheerleader who couldn’t wait to get to my neighbor’s house. He asked me to scream him a loud and happy cheer. I did what he asked, kissed him goodbye, and ran off to play with my friends. I didn’t think anything about that being the last time I saw him.

Something I have never imagined. I felt as someone has taken half of my heart, I was feeling lonely. I could not explain what was I am feeling or what I was thinking about. The only thing I was asking myself why was happening to me. I felt as if I took her for granted. The love I had for her was enormous but I did not show her enough of it. She gave me love and a good friendship. I was not ready to let go, of someone who has been here since I was born. For my heart still, aches with sadness. She not only became the most important person in my life. I could not cover up my pain I still hoped, when my eyes open, she will embrace me with her love, but memories of her will always stay. Having trouble accepting the fact she was gone, I am afraid of entering her room and seeing her lay there knowing those eyes of hers will never open again. She was a wonderful person, she was the sunshine of my day. The person who made me believe the world had multiple opportunities. Her astonishing smile could bring a bad day to a good day. We believe the special person would stay with you forever and noticing the person you most loved and appreciated is gone in a blink of an eye. The memories and the great time I spent with my grandmother could not be changed for anything. The love can not be replaced or can not be forgotten.

I know now that he stuck by this and that’s why anyone that was important to him loved him for these reasons. Those words stuck to me and will always stick to me for the rest of my life. As the months went on me and my older brother took turns going with my grandfather it upset me at times because I wasn’t spending as much time as I wanted to with my grandfather but I learned to live it. We never really argued about what day he would go or I would go. My mother would always make me some lunch on those Saturday mornings I remember mine would consisted of peanut butter and jelly with an apple and 2 cookies and a water bottle. I loved those days they made me feel relaxed and good about being alive. As I got older so did my grandfather he started to have more pain in more places, sick on unexpected days I never knew what sickness he had but I know it wasn’t good. There was some Saturday morning that he couldn’t take us because of his sickness until one day he just stopped taking us, later that month they told us he was sick in the hospital but that everything was going to be fine I was relieved of that news I thought everything was going to be the way it once was. Before I knew I didn’t have a grandfather anymore that same month he died. We were all devastated I couldn’t believe it I didn’t want to believe it. That week continued with people crying and remembering all the good he did for people. As this was

All I have are memories and pictures in a frame. I know that I have you in my heart, and god has you in his arms. There are days where I wish you were here to tell me that everything is going to be okay and I will make it. We have so much to talk about that I want to tell you. Since April 2010, you have been gone, I know you watch my every move from heaven. But I still want to talk to you about the change that has overcome my life since you have been gone. The change that has overcome my life was the best thing that ever happened to me and I have grown so much from it as I get older.

As I gazed at the coffin that belonged to my Grandfather, I reminisced about the last thing that I had said to him. The words “I love you” stuck in my mind. The wind blew, biting into my skin on this cold December day in a graveyard in Westminster, Massachusetts. It was a few days before Christmas and we were laying him to rest in his grave. The priest was prattling on in the background.The tears glistened in peoples eyes. Mine were watering as well, almost cried out from the bad news and sadness of the past week.

After a few days in the hospital my father was discharged and I’ve never seen a bigger smile on his face to go back to his house, with his walker we got out of the jeep and step by step we made into the house, welcomed home to all of family immediate and extended he sat in his chair ate a bite of rice and chicken, watched TV and talked to his eldest son, “ It’s time for you to get some rest Tommie” my mother spoke, so with his walker he got up and step by step we took to his room. What would take a short distance that my father took many times now seemed like a marathon to him, what was once joy on his face turned into low spirits, midway through he stopped and cried and said he couldn’t do it as if he was defeated, with the whole family to his aid we got him to his destination sat him on the bad and my brother Christian said with affirmation “ Dad you are