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On The Pulse Of Morning By Maya Angelou

Decent Essays

Maya Angelou, sometimes referred to as the “people’s poet”, was a civil rights activist, dancer, actress, screenwriter, and poet. She was an intelligent woman that was known widely by addressing the world through her own life experiences. Angelou also received many literary awards and also over four dozen honorary degrees (Smelstor). Angelou’s most famous piece of poetry “On the Pulse of Morning” deals with change over time, diversity, and more importantly equality; Angelou recited the poem at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration (Overview: On the Pulse…). Another famous poem by Angelou is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, which deals with racism and segregation in America. This poem was from her famous autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird …show more content…

Angelou opens the poem with a bird gracefully flying free. Then the poem deals with a bird that is in a cage, a bird that can barely see through the bars of the cage and has their wings clipped and feet tied. Next the bird begins to sing with a “fearful trill/ of things unknown” (16-17), this caged bird is scared and wants the same thing many people want; freedom. Angelou uses only thirty-eight lines to address the reader of some of the biggest issues in American; racism and segregation. The “free bird” that is flying free may represent whites or anyone with freedom. The caged bird symbolizes the races that do not have the amount of freedom they should as Americans, these “birds” are in essence locked up in jail, which is symbolized by the bars of the cage. Angelou leaves the reader with the repeated …show more content…

This is a piece of poetry that brings up the attention of today’s society, and how women fit into it. Angelou starts the poem with a woman who is not set with looks, but she is confident with who she is. Throughout the poem it is a mystery to men as to why they are attracted to her. Angelou explains that the men are attracted to her confidence, and her confidence is what makes her a phenomenal woman, “Phenomenal woman, / That’s me” (12-13). Every stanza of the poem contains the line “I say”, these four lines emphasize the voice of the speaker, and it also shows the plain-spoken attitude of the speaker. Angelou conveys the message of how society may try to shape women due to media, but that women need to be confident and flaunt who they are. The modern image of women having to starve themselves to look beautiful is what Angelou is addressing. In the poem a woman is confident in herself and can draw the attention of many men due to

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