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New Direction Maya Angelou Analysis

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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. 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. …show more content…

This is set specifically during the time in the US where racism is thriving and was very hard for people of color to make a name for themselves. Therefore Maya Angelou could relay the hardship that those times really would have impacted on Annie Johnson’s life through the setting. To add on to Annie’s struggle, the author made her a woman because during the time this story is set in, if it were a man it would be easier for him to find work and support himself because in those days a lot of women did not work. So Annie pursuing through the hard times she was provided with in this setting really relays the idea of the theme of courage in the story. For the final element I'm analyzing in the story I'm going to discuss the mood. In the story the mood actually changes up a bit. In the beginning the author is describing how Annie’s husband left her and how she'll have to raise her sons on her own with almost no money so it is quite somber. But as the story progresses on and Annie begins to make a name for herself and have a successful career by preserving on her own the story ends by leaving the reader feeling optimistic and hopeful because the courage Annie had throughout the entire story worked off and made her a happy successful woman. New Directions provided a story with a strong theme of courage. That theme was brought out through the use of the plot, setting, and mood in this short

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