New Direction By Metraca Angelou Summary

Lars Eighner writes an article in The Texas Observer called “Bigmama Didn’t Shop at Woolworths” that gives us insight into the life of a family living in Bryan Texas. Bigmama lets us know about her life in which she is unable to shop at regular stores and is followed around to make sure she does not steal anything. Bigmama has to teach her granddaughter about this way of life, advising Sunny Nash about the term “colored” in hopes that Sunny would not live a life of embarrassment or make a mistake and get herself killed. (Eighner 29) We are shown how Bigmama has to make decisions and influence the youth to be aware of what the world is like so that her family would survive. In 1946, Viola Johnson receives a letter from Louisiana State University informing her that the State of Louisiana has separate colleges for whites and colored students and that she would not be admitted to their medical college. (Patterson) Johnson would then write a letter informing LSU that she would be taking them to court in this issue. As time passed, Johnson would attend the southern Louisiana College for colored students and then request again to be admitted to the Medical college at LSU. Being denied again, Johnson would be taken on as the “ideal plaintiff” for the NAACP and go to court against LSU for violating the 14th amendment. She would lose the court battle against LSU, but that did not end her determination. Viola Johnson, now Doctor Viola Coleman would move to Midland, Texas and assist in the desegregation process of Midland Medical school. Viola left a legacy to her children, who knew nothing of what their mother did until she passed, to stand for what they believe in and stay headstrong in this life against unequal rights. (Patterson) In a news article from the 1940s, The Baird Star, reads

Mrs. Cullinan's kitchen serves as Angelou's "finishing" school in that Angelou learns how to individualize her personal identity. When Angelou initially goes to Mrs. Cullinan's house, she is supposed to learn proper servant etiquette from Miss Glory, Mrs. Cullinan's current servant. This can be justified by how Angelou must learn to prepare tables, clean dishes, and shadow Miss Glory throughout the day. Angelou is an African American woman in a time shortly after the emancipation of the slaves. Thus, Angelou is still restricted by the racism of the time period’s culture, and as a result, is expected to continue in the life of serving “whitefolk”. Unlike Miss Glory, Angelou is not content with living the life of a servant, so instead of learning

Stevenson 3Alone Versus CompanionshipTo be alone could mean internal loneliness or it could also be physical loneliness."Alone", by Maya Angelou, dives in to the author´s point of view of being alone. When onedeciphers the poem, the deepness and the quality of Maya Angelou’s word is presented throughher overall meaning. The poem might be easy for one to decipher due to its simple diction,however, when one analyzes the poem the true quality of Maya Angelou’s words are presented.Angelou uses biblical allusions, figurative language, her past life, and word choice through hertone, fiction, and structure to present the meaning.First, the text’s overall meaning is that life has to be lived with the companionship ofother people. There is an

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.

Hillary R. Clinton once said that “There cannot be true democracy unless Women’s voices are heard” (conference in Vienna, Austria 1997). That very brilliant quote relates to a very strong woman by the name of Maya Angelou. Angelou is “America’s most visible black female autobiographer and speakers” (scholar Joanne M. Braxton). She is known for her speeches, poems, and books, but what stood out to me the most was her 1993 inauguration speech when Bill Clinton was sworn into the White House. Ironically, in her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” Maya Angelou uses clear rhetoric, prehistoric metaphoric images, and inspirational concepts to alert her audience to treat the world differently.

The plot, or basic storyline, of this short story is about a black woman, Annie Johnson, based in the United States before 1905. Her marriage had collapsed due to her husband leaving her to pursue religion in Oklahoma and leaving her with very little money. The plotline develops on to show her struggle to support herself and her two sons and how she has to use courage to support herself and her family.

In the poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou, the poet uses repetition, metaphors and similes to express to her audience about how she has overcome racism in her life through demonstrating a strong, proud and defiant attitude to inspire others.

The book “Coming of Age in Mississippi” By Anne Moody is an autobiography and talks about the lifestyle of growing up as a Negro in the rural south during horrid times for blacks. Moody was born on September 15, 1940 and died just last year on February 5, 2015. Moody starts her story from the beginning of child hood living with her mother and siblings. She was a brilliant student and also had the motivation for doing her best, but the barriers that blocked her simply seemed impossible to pass, she was a black female. It is noted that in Centreville, where she lived, 8th grade was the highest education for Negro children (28). Whites on the other hand had much more access to literally everything. It wasn’t until about the age of 7 when Moody played with other white children for the first time, this was how segregated the lives were. When including race Moody’s mother always seemed to hide things from Moody and that’s what sprung her curiosity. Moody was often scolded for asking questions that arose like, why the theaters had white and black sections.

Why do you think it matters to Angelou that she "had proved that one of their descendants, at least one, could just briefly return to Africa, and that despite cruel betrayals,

Prejudice, discrimination, or opposition against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s race is superior is called racism. In stories “Finishing School” by Maya Angelou and “What’s in a Name?” by Henry Louis Gates Jr. racism is revealed by the main characters who showed similarities and differences within the time. Racism is portrayed in “Finishing School” and “What’s in a Name?” through the setting, circumstances, and characters reactions.

Maya Angelou acclaimed poet and author wrote a poem entitled “America”. The poem offers words of truth of our country America. The poem begins, “ The gold of her promise, has never been mined.” America, promises us that all men are created equal. The first problem with the promise is we are not all men. The gold of her promise, address equality. Although it is promised to all in this country, its never delivered, when discrimination, of race and gender are still existent. “Her borders of justice, not clearly defined.” We all have our opinions on what justice is, because circumstances differ when we speak of justice in the terms of punishment, to make up for ones wrong doing. Yet, the borders of justice are not

The story about pain, about being fed up with the reality, about dying at the foot of the mountain which is said to be the highest in Africa. The thing as uncertain as the unknown presence of the mysterious skeleton of the leopard lying close to the western summit, dried and frozen. One ponders on the reason for the animal to climb that altitude. So far, the question with no straight answer WHY. Why did the leopard climb the mountain? How to explain logically what it was seeking there? How to explain what Harry was looking for, dying slowly at the foot of Kilimanjaro and struggling within himself with his sort of "writer's block"?

“On the pulse of morning” describes the challenges facing the American people through personification. The challenges that faced America in the late 20th and early 21st century were the struggles for wisdom, freedom, and a greater future. Angelou advised the audience to return to wisdom, “Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow and when you yet knew you still knew nothing.” (Angelou) Another challenge faced in the poem is the struggle for freedom. “They all hear the speaking of the tree”, freedom for everyone no matter what ethnic background. Finally the last challenge in the poem is the future. Stating the importance of learning from history to have a better future, where we will not relive our past.

"On the Pulse of Morning" was a sonnet composed and read by Maya Angelou at President Bill Clinton's introduction function in January, 1993. Conceived on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, poet and social equality extremist Maya Angelou is known for her 1969 diary, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Although that is what she was most famous for “on the Pulse of Morning” is now being analyzed. Firstly, Starting with the acknowledgment that rocks, river, and trees have seen the landing and takeoff of numerous eras, "On the Pulse of Morning" continues to have each of these witnesses address the future, start with the Rock, which in fact reports that individuals may remain upon its back however may not discover security in its shadow. Despite what might be expected, says the Rock, people must face the future, their "far off predetermination," strikingly and straightforwardly.

Maya Angelou’s poetry occupies a very special position in her development as a writer (Chow 1). As a child, Angelou went through five years of complete silence after she was raped at the age of seven years old, by a man named, Mr. Freeman. As a result of telling about her traumatic experience, her uncle’s literally kicked the man that raped her to death. Beings she spoke of her traumatic experience and the result of the man dying, she then imagined that her voice had the potential to kill. Thanks to her teacher, Bertha Flowers, at school Angelou started writing poetry as a means of expression of her life events through her poetry (Chow 1). Poetry thus played an essential part in the recovery of her voice, which in