Maya Angelou Similes

The use of words to portray feelings slowly drifts away, becoming replaced with short sentences, the lack of descriptive words, and the use of emoticons in texting. Today there are hundreds of emoticons to describe your feelings, or even your location. Maya Angelou, commonly known as, “poet, author, performer, stage and screen producer, director, and a singer”, wrote the excerpt Graduation Day from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969. She along with many other authors changed the minds of individuals by the strategic placement of letters and words. Today the art of English is dwindling away from Americans, although many refuse to accept the fact. Words alone have very little meaning, but when arranged and a few descriptive words are added,

Maya Angelou once spoke, “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” What Maya Angelou said brings to mind such bountiful memories of how true this is in my life. When I look back at my life, I remember countless stories of my life that this quote is accurate too.

Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” written in 1978, acknowledges the racism and segregation during the Civil Rights Movement. During this time, although no longer slaves, the African Americans have been given little rights and opportunity in America. Maya Angelou wrote this poem to prove to other American citizens that she is unfazed by their hate, while she strengthens her people’s motive to reach equality. Angelou utilizes metaphor, imagery and repetition to reveal how proud she is of her minority’s strength.

During the time of the civil rights movement, in Angelou’s poem, Still I Rise, her use of figurative language appeals to the reader's emotion to understand the shrewdness of the treatment towards women. In her poem she writes, “You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness.” These lines from her poem illustrate the painful affect that ill mannered behavior has on not just women, but all people. Angelou presents her message of cruelty to women through judgement and rudity by using figurative language, and this helps to give her purpose a weightier impact on the

Maya Angelou, an African-American woman, wrote the poem, “Still I Rise,” in 1978 when racism was still prominent. Maya Angelou was reaching out to a racist community to prove oppression will not bring her down. Angelou brings up topics of what she and every other African-American person has to endure when living in their communities, and how they feel. She also brings up topics of oppression and marginalization throughout this speech to state that she will continue to rise up above it. Maya Angelou utilizes rhetorical questions, hateful diction, as well as, similes and metaphors to prove to others that she, and other African-American’s will rise against the racism and oppression they face.

The fact that African-Americans were prejudiced and treated in an ill manner stands as a well-accepted historical statement, but the injured emotions, identity and cultural heritage of them are often neglected. is an autobiography of Maya Angelou in which she recollects her childhood memory and sends a strong message to the reader.

“Still I Rise”, written by African-American writer Maya Angelou, includes a character who rises “Up from a past that’s rooted in pain.” No matter what words are said against her, lies are told about her, threats are made towards her, or words are written against her, she takes the past and uses it to fuel her confidence. The way she writes creates a deep sense of pride and feeling, while giving the poem life and helping the audience realise that they, too can rise. The diction, literary devices, and theme help the speaker portray her feelings about the topic of oppression in her experience.

African Americans in my generation should be ashamed. What did our ancestors fight for? In this generation we use the word nigger as if it is slang and not a word that our ancestors looked down upon. What did Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders fight for? In Maya Angelou’s book Rainbow in the Clouds she discussed that we as African Americans should respect our descendants and behave in a way that they would be proud of. Maya Angelou also expressed how she is proud to be an American and how she is thankful to our troops.

Maya Angelo uses poetic devices such as similes, metaphors and repetition to show her audience about how she has overcome adversity in her life through demonstrating a strong, confidence and defiant attitude to inspire others to keep their head up not just for blacks after the time period of the civil rights movement but a message to all that you “rise” despite the situation you are stuck in.

I agree with Maya Angelou quote because, everyone has feelings of how somebody has treated them. The feeling either stays with you or leaves you. When somebody teats you bad and, they tell you wrong things, that might be with you for the rest of your life. Some people feelings will hurt and, some want hurt but, it depends on how they treat you. Most kids in school have been kicked on, picked on, and other things but, one day that will stay that person heart until they die. Those people that you have treated wrong, they will possible get you back for those things. I do surely agree with Maya Angelou with the good and wonderful quote.

In the story “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, the story is about a narrator who ignores abusive actions from her haters and soars above them. In this story, the narrator says “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise” (“Still I Rise”, pg 1). To be powerful means to have control over their identity. When the narrator says “You may kill me with your hatefulness,” she says that people hate her so much, that they verbally abuse her. If she did not have control over who she will be, she would not have the ability to choose who influences her life, making her powerless. Alternatively, she does have control, so she chooses to ignore them, proving that if people can control their identity, then they are powerful. When the narrator said “I’ll rise,” she meant no matter what they do to her, she would not be influenced by their words and continue to grow powerful. People can control who they are and who they will become like the narrators in the stories “We Wear the Mask” and “Still I Rise.” If they did not have control over their identity, then they would not be in a position to hide their true emotions or to choose to ignore the hateful words of people that try to bring her

Life is a giant curveball and can sometimes cause a person to go through a bottomless pit of stress and depression. People who allow worrisome events in life linger in their mind only set the future for themselves up for a negative never ending cycle. Temporary mourning and negative thoughts are healthy for the body; this allows the mind to be emptied rather than bottling all feeling inside letting it overwhelm you. In the bible it says “Greater things are yet to come” and I feel that this quote fits perfectly with the Maya Angelou quote. With greater things to come why would you let a negative part in your life interfere with your other adventures, as Maya Angelou says. When reading this quote, I connected with it instantly through the

The poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, addresses White people who discriminate African Americans. During this period of time, Black people were not being treated equally, with this poem Angelou wants to defend African Americans. As a civil rights activist it is her job to fight for people's rights. By employing simile, imagery, and repetition, Angelou defends African Americans against their oppressors and shows that people have to be confident and strong, and not feel put down but rise above their problems.

In Angelou’s powerful and moving poem ‘Human Family”, she expresses the theme by mostly comparing and contrasting people she’s met and seen, and concludes with stanzas showing we really are just the same. She ends her poem with “I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” This quote expresses the main idea that there are quite obvious differences that we all have, but in the grand scheme of things, we

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life a with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” – Maya Angelou. For Instance I had the opportunities to help someone. Ever since this one time I have the desire to help out my fellow man.