Madeline Grace Marshall
Dr. Eastman
ENG 3475
07 October 2016
Affirming Diverse Voices Midterm Essay #1
Maya Angelou’s poignant statement, “history, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again” speaks to the growing need to bring diversity and respect into the educational environment. Forgetting the reasons for the conflicts of the past and ignoring the conversations of today will only help to sustain the current trend of negative discourse between certain communities. For English teachers, literature is, perhaps, one of the best ways to promote social values in race, ethnicity, gender expression, age, appearance, ability, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, community
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Education was never meant to be homogeneous, apologetic, or stagnant, but it was meant to broaden the mind and to engage questions of how society works, has worked, and what it will grow to be. For students to feel they are integral parts of that very society they are discussing, it starts with seeing that their individual cultures and identities are being respected, acknowledged, and supported.
Believing that literature can be an excellent way to explore and expand that idea of respect, educators have access to countless novels, poems, and short stories at their disposal. By bringing in multiple texts, a teacher can promote social justice through theoretical discussions and complex interpretations as well as help grow the skills in their students to find multiple perspectives and consider all possible views on certain topics. Looking at a lesson on gender roles, a novel like Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston would expand on several essential questions posed to the students about societal expectations for men and women, how those expectations have influenced events throughout history, and how those roles have changed or remained
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The non-linear quality of the novel gives the students a unique chance to view the changing relationships over generations and how different events have different interpretations from all the alternate perspectives presented. The importance of June, who dies within the first couple pages of the novel, is mentioned again and again throughout the book. The roles of woman and mother, the roles of father and guardian, and the roles of each individual in the confines of white American society are important themes present in the novel. Each character, from Lulu to Lipsha, has an individual identity that comes from multiple sources in their lives. Students reading this novel might be unfamiliar with Native American culture, but by looking at the background history present (like the Vietnam War) and how colonization affected the rich history and heritage of a people, the students will engage and explore an important part of their own histories and backgrounds while learning more about the indigenous people living today. Certain poems, like “Making a Fist” by Naomi Shihab Nye and “Immigrants” by Pat Mora speak to cultures merging into a new country by acclimating, assimilating, and conforming into a foreign society. Combining those texts with lessons pertaining to Love Medicine would enrich the conversations about race and colonization. The students
Annie was very successful in her life. The story, "New Directions", by Maya Angelou, it states that Annie did many things for her family. She was successful by working hard at night, walked everywhere so she could sell pies and earn money, and making a store where people could buy her items.
Born April 4, 1928, in Saint Louis Missouri throughout her life, Angelou defied several obstacles placed in her path by social norms. Angelou had a trying childhood. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and she and her older brother were sent to live with their paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. During a visit with her mother, Angelou's mother's boyfriend raped her. Her uncles then killed the boyfriend, traumatizing Angelou. After her mother's boyfriend raped her and turned up dead a few days later, Angelou withdrew and chose to stay mute for five years. However,after much encouragement from her grandmother, who introduced her to literature, she gradually emerged as an artist. In 1944, Angelou gave birth to a son, Guy , at
Have you ever thought about becoming a singer, poet, dancer, screenwriter, journalist, civil rights activist, and a memoirist all in a lifetime? Well Maya Angelou did just that. She first began as a singer and dancer, next she became a journalist and civil right activist, and then she later became a memoirist, screenwriter, and a poet. She met many other role models and even fundraised for Martin Luther King Jr. She was also honored for different kinds of awards.
In American history, racial inequality has been a prevalent issue for many decades. By the 1930s racial inequality and segregation was still as strong as ever. There was a racial hierarchy with white people at the top and black people near the bottom. White people would discriminate against black people. The two groups never worked alongside each other or mixed in any fashion. To help understand this time period, segregation was still present until the mid 1950s, when the Supreme Court ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional. During this time full of racism and racial inequality, Maya Angelou was just a little girl growing up in St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis is a town in the South that was most likely overflowing with inequalities at the time. In 1938 Maya Angelou was only ten years old. At this age, she worked for a lady named Mrs. Viola Cullinan. Maya Angelou wrote briefly about her time spent working for Mrs. Cullinan in her short story “Mary.” Maya Angelou's’ use of vivid, direct characterization and alternating childish voice to mature adult narrative diction filtered through her authentic first person point of view helps to prominently establish the theme of Angelou’s distaste for racial inequality throughout the short story.
Throughout history there have been great poets and writers who have had great impact on the world. Some great poets are Fredrick Douglass, Langston Hughes, and W.E.B Du Bois. Although the most influential poet to me is Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou has made great contribution and impact through her poems, books, and movies. Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928 in St. Louis Missouri.
Maya Angelou, a mother, a dancer, a singer, an actress, a poet, an author, and a civil rights activist, has become one of the most influential women in the world. Growing up as an African-American in the most racial conflictive years, Angelou has faced many struggles throughout her life. Those struggles didn’t stop her from doing what she loved and standing up for what she believed in. Angelou never gave up and always fought for justice whether it was through writing, performing, or speaking. Maya Angelou’s life experiences have influenced how she writes and performs.
Maya Angelou is one of the most distinguished African American writers of the twentieth century. Writing is not her only forte she is a poet, director, composer, lyricist, dancer, singer, journalist, teacher, and lecturer (Angelou and Tate, 3). Angelou’s American Dream is articulated throughout her five part autobiographical novels; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together in my Name, Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry Like Christmas, The Heart of a Woman, and All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes. Maya Angelou’s American Dream changed throughout her life: in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya’s American dream was to fit into a predominantly white society in small town
Maya Angelou “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies- You may trod me in the very dirt- But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken?
We have a painting, a poem, and music. What do these three pieces of art have in common? After picking these three pieces of art I discovered they all dealt with slavery. The painting is by Aaron Douglas. This is one of four in a series that he called “Aspects of Negro Life”.
Maya Angelou is a phenomenal woman. She rises through all things that come her way and she refuses to back down. Angelou chose at a very young age to be a writer and a role model for many people. She believes that everyone should be treated equally and that the world should come together as a unity. Angelou had many careers but is known mostly for her poetic creations. She has come a long way from where she started and I think anyone can agree with me when I say, she has made us all proud with her accomplishments. Angelou writes poetry to inform and encourage others to carry on through the worst of times. She is a strong, confident, inspirational woman and I am more than honored to be doing my senior paper on her.
Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928. Her real name is Marguerite Johnson, but she later changed it to Maya. She was born in St. Louis, shortly after her birth her family up and move to Arkansaw. Maya grew up there in the rural parts of Arkansaw, and later married to a South African Freedom Fighter. She lived in Cairo with him, there she began her career as editor of the Arab Observer.
I was asked a question on how it feels to be colored me. To be honest even if I did tell you the answer it will take a lot more than just an essay to understand how it feels or what it is like to be me, beautiful colored me. If I can give you, the reader, just a glimpse of what it is like to not just be colored but specifically African American, I hope that you would learn and know how I feel. The feelings of love, pain, and hope. Knowing the love and self-pride that I possess for myself, my culture, my heritage and my race. Knowing the pain I feel to see people of my race and culture still being belittled and stereotyped without given an opportunity or chance to prove themselves or show the beauty, intelligence and resilience of they are; being hated upon, labeled and despised simply because of the color of our skin. Knowing the hope I have for the people of my culture and race that no matter what we will continue to strive, achieve much and overcome any and every obstacle thrown our way and continue to grow strong from it.
Arwa Abdullah Al-Arfaj 431923324 Instructor: Mohrah AlOtaibi English 432 Response Journal Equality by Maya Angelou Equality by Maya Angelou is a powerful poem; it speaks about equality whether it’s gender or race. The poem speaks to everyone who has been discriminated on the basis of either of color, gender, ethnicity, race, appearance, economic background, and the mere lack of opportunities to better oneself. Maya in the poem speaks for everybody that has been discriminated for something about themselves like for the color of their skin, their weight, their height, and so much more. Maya in the poem says talks about how discriminators can perceive her wrongly.
Life is not always easy as we think, each and every one had a bad experience in your life that teaches you a lesson for us in order to win the journey of our life. In the essay, "Graduation", Maya Angelou states about the unfair treatment of whites against the African Americans during the graduation. There are situations in life where we feel discriminated but no matter what we have to gain the strength to prosper.
The year is 1940 and the setting is the desperately poor, racially segregated town of Stamps, Arkansas. In the soft dirt beneath the stilts of her grandmother’s general store, she does not want anyone to hear her as she attempts a few lines of poetry. Maya Angelou has not spoken for five years since being raped at the age of seven, but slowly, tentatively, she begins to make a sound.