Essay on The Interpretation of None the Other, Maya Angelou

Angelou was sexually abused while she lived with her mother’s family before she was 7 years old, then she was sent to live with her paternal grandparents for years. Angelou stopped talking to people for six years after the sexual abuse. People gave her all kinds of bad names while she grew up, only her grandmother showed her the bright side of the world. Angelou’s grandmother encouraged her to become a teacher and teach people all over the world once herself and the lord is ready for it. Grandmother’s encouragement turned out to be true, Maya Angelou eventually became a great writer and taught people what she learned from her grandmother all over the

Maya Angelou’s poetry challenges the reader to take ownership of the issues they face by changing their perspective. Angelou uses figurative poetic form combined with accessible language to allow an immersive interpretive reading of her poetry. This enables the theme of individual empowerment in ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ and strength through unity utilised in ‘Alone’ to apply to a wider audience from a range of contexts. The emancipation Angelou offers in her poetry is heavily driven by the belief that an individual has the power to change their circumstances. Despite living in a 1950s America where she was subjugated for being part of the African American community, Maya Angelou’s poetry maintains its relevance today due to the focus she places on the emotional realm and its importance over the physical experience. Angelou uses widespread exposure by using her own experiences of racial oppression to relate to those who have felt any sort of inequality, which in turn intensifies the effect of her poetry on the target audience.

“Alone” by Maya Angelou presents the idea that everyone needs someone to live in this cruel world; isolation won’t lead to success, thus all of us need someone to make it in life. The tone of the poem is very thoughtful and sad. The speaker is lying in bed continuously pondering about life and how to achieve happiness, “How to find my soul a home.” The speaker then posits an answer to their question, “That nobody, / But nobody, / Can make it out here alone” stating that humanity is only best when people come together. This is also repeated at the end of every stanza to emphasize the theme of the poem.

Maya Angelou’s “Alone” is an incredible narrative poem that readers can relate to. This poem is about realizing that no matter who you are, or where you come from, or how much money you have, you need other human beings to survive in this world. In life you need people who love you and help you through hardships. The poem is easy to read and understand because of the simplicity of the diction. Angelou uses the phrase, “That nobody, / But nobody / Can make it out here alone,” to get her point across. The fact that she uses the phrase to make a point allows the reader to look past the trite. The tone of the poem is yearning. Angelou brilliantly uses assonance, alliteration, figurative language, and AB, AB rhyme. The meaning of this poem is one of great importance.

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

Perhaps the reason that Maya’s poetry has had such a lasting impact on Americans is because of her poems such as ‘Caged Birds’ and ‘Still I Rise’ that demonstrate the issues that African – Americans faced, which she has done through the power of her words. She also challenges the readers with the theme of oppression that is carried out through her pomes as she felt very strongly about it by being surrounded by it her entire life. Maya Angelou has left an everlasting mark by influencing the society through her poems by inspiring others to persist towards their goals and dreams with strength and pride. Overall, Maya Angelou’s work can be attributed to the fact that her personal and cultural experiences of power have not been forgotten by overcoming adversity and oppression, which is clearly reflected in her inspiration body of work seen

Maya Angelou, and Lanston Hughes two very different people with very similar views. This essay contains the comparison between the two poets. How they are slightly different, but all around are mainly the same. Throughout history there has been many wrong doings towards African American people. Assault, Segregation, Slavery...These are just a few different things that black people had to overcome throughout the years. Angelou and Hughes are both African American poets known for their contribution within black history, and are also those who have written about the suffering of African Americans. “Africa” written by Maya Angelo is a poem which expresses the grave injustice done to Africa by the Europeans. Whereas “Negro” written by Lanston Hughes is a poem which capitalizes on the history of African Americans throughout time. Even though both of these poems have different focuses, they reveal similarities. Each poem in their own way express the feeling in the way “black people” have been viewed, and what they have had to go through. Angelou, and Hughes talk about these suffering and are able to see a light at the end of a tunnel. They paint a picture to readers that even though they are “Negros” they are still standing, and they will prevail through it all. As readers read these poems they will be able to see each poem tells a different story, which ends up being the same story.

When the phrase “jack of all trades” is spoken, of whom does one think of? Possibly one who is decent at a variety of skills, but certainly not a master of trades in an array of areas. Astonishingly, the brilliant poet and writer, Maya Angelou, proved to be exactly that. [Despite her tragic childhood during which she was raped by her uncles and discriminated against due to her African American heritage,] the successful poet, children’s book author, speaker, and screenplay writer coined phrases such as “Still I Rise” and “Because I Love to Live,” proving her resilience during her participation in the Civil Rights Movement and her belief in racial conformity (Best Famous Maya Angelou Poems). [Portraying passion, perseverance, and

One event which impacted me was the shocking, heartbreaking death of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, who whistled at a white woman, violating the Jim Crow Laws the husband of the women abducted him from his uncle’s house, after beating him they shot him to death and threw his body Tallahatchie River, which sparked international outrage and fuelled civil rights arguments. This story outlines how disgraceful the discrimination was towards the African American population. With Jim Crow laws, Bus boycotts and the Klu Klux Klan, Maya Angelou felt that the only way to make a difference was through literature and music. With this poem mainly being about Race, it also can be interpreted about gender, which makes it universal to all audiences. Everyone interprets poetry based on his or her own experiences and heartaches, I am going to assume that every single person in this room has at one time in their lives felt different, excluded, or not

I suppose I could just answer the second question with my absolute favorite quote by Maya Angelou, but I think I would first like to talk about why I chose the quote that I am to give to you today. As a young black eighteen year old girl who has learned of the history of slavery that has rocked the seas around the shores of America, the streaks of racial bias and discrimination that is still visible in the modern era, and the immense pressure that has been put on the YBW, or young black woman, and the perseverance and faith they had within themselves to push themselves through the thickened ice of judgement and hesitation, I feel that the words that Maya Angelou has used to create her poem is full of immense power and strength that the world shakes when they are spoken or read. They resonate through one's body, mind, and soul. They feel themselves become one with them. For this reason, that is why I have decided to choose the quote:

Marguerite Annie Johnson, best known as Maya Angelou was greatly known and has carried many talents. Being a poet, author, teacher, mother dancer, and plenty more has made Maya the Phenomenal woman she had become. Maya Angelou’s poems express her everyday experiences and the struggles she had overcome. Although Maya Angelou was faced with many difficult situations she never let the past events affect her future. Being eager to learn allowed her to pursue her education, shaped her career choices and motivated her to write

She speaks not only for herself but also for her gender and race. “This extension of self occurs in Angelou’s autobiographies and protest poetry. It is in keeping with a traditional practice of black writers to personalize their common racial experiences” (McGeagh 28). The ‘I” of Angelou’s refrain is obviously female and, in this instance, a woman forthright about the sexual nuances of personal and social struggle. Maya Angelou has been very involved with the civil rights movement. In her poems she really captures an incredible sense of momentum, vitality, and hope. She states that these experiences are “so important for me in my life that it must come through in my work” (McGeagh 5). Her writing attempts to capture and preserve the determining forces, vicissitudes, and ambiance of her own life story and of the ongoing African-American story, which helped to shape her and which she reflects and illuminates. “Abandoned by both her parents when they divorced, Angelou early experienced the twin forces that would determine the contour of her life and the nature of her career: personal rejection and institutional racism” (McGeagh

In February, in the fourth grade, I remember going to this black history event when the older students would dress up as famous African Americans and give a speech about each person life. They acted out people ranging from the great Martin Luther King Jr to the famous “Float like butterfly sting like a bee” Muhammad Ali. It wasn’t until I got to well-known writer Maya Angelou, that I actually felt a connection with. All I could do was stand in amazement of the words that were spoken from the 6th grader who played her. She quoted one of Maya’s famous poems “Still I rise” She was so profound and clear. Everything about the poem gave me the outlook that anything has a story but it’s up to you to write

There is not a single person in the world born “evil.” It is a person’s experiences and the decisions that they make in life that define them as a person, not the way they appear on the outside. And yet, millions of people are judged solely on the colour of their skin or their gender every single day. Maya Angelou worked her entire life to change this deafening life sentence of discrimination. Throughout her poems Equality, Still I Rise, and A Brave and Startling Truth, Maya Angelou develops the theme of the necessity of equality through the use of repetition, metaphor, and point of view.

Besides being a compelling piece of poetry, “Africa” by Maya Angelou is an ode to Africa and African Americans in their struggle to overcome the obstacles placed upon them. Her lyrical lines trace back to the horrors of slavery and the inhumane treatment of the people of Africa, then ends on a lighter note of optimism and hope. Between the lines of her work, Maya Angelou includes themes of racial inequality and suffering which she sought