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Maya Angelou said, “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” In the story, “Graduation” by Maya Angelou describes her experience during her eighth grade graduation. Angelou was excited to be graduating eighth grade and so was the entire town. She was graduating her class being the second smartest in her class. A white man, Mr. Donleavy spoke at Angelou’s graduation and ruins her hopes and dreams about the future. He reminded everyone at the ceremony that they were workers and not

In the heart-breaking novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker, we read about the protagonist and narrator, Celie who is a victim of rape and abuse. She is caught in this vicious patriarchal society where women have no voice. In this novel we see many similarities to Ovid’s archetypal rape narrative. I will discuss the similarities in full detail and explain how the men in the female protagonists’ lives hurt and betrayed them. I will be looking at the book The Color Purple as well as Ovid’s Metamorphoses

The Life and Accomplishments of Maya Angelou “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud” (brainyquote). This quote by Angelou basically summarizes a good majority of the themes of Angelou’s poems. Angelou was, in fact, an inspiration or “a rainbow” (brainyquote) to many. Angelou wrote to express herself; she believed if she was going to write about something, it was important (Noah Charney The Daily Beast). Angelou’s childhood experiences played an important role in her poems and books. She inspired

Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is a lyrical-feminist poem, which she uses vivid imagery, metaphors, and repetition to portray the essential message that, “No matter the mistreatment or negativity she receives from her oppressors, she will still stand.” Maya Angelou is an African- American author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, singer, and civil rights activist. Angelou’s writing centered on the reflections of the experiences of African American

Maya Angelou was one of the greatest writers of all time. Born in 1914, she wrote both about her personal life and the struggles of being an African American. Maya lived the struggle and the raw emotions she fills flow through her writings. Graduation is just one of her writings. In this short story she tells about the life of a young black girl graduating from 8th grade from the rural segregated town of Stamps, Arkansas. Stamps had two schools, the white school and the black school. “Unlike

“You may encounter many defeats but you must not be defeated,”(Angelou 448). A quote in which is true in the stories that this author wrote and in her own life. In the short stories and poem, from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, “Caged Bird,” “New Directions,” and “Woman Work,” Maya Angelou writes about the human spirit and freedom. In each of her works of literature, Angelou addresses the point of being free and creating your own life. Although it isn’t stated in all of the stories, one can infer

Using rhetorical questions with a combination of sarcastic diction and similes, laced with visual imagery, the speaker of “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou unapologetically mocks her audience’s desire to see her fail. By asking questions that do not expect or need an answer, such as, “Does my sassiness/sexiness upset you?” and, “Does my haughtiness offend you?” she ridicules her audience with her confidence and by not caring what their response is. Immediately, she then follows her rhetorical questions

A Color Purple Mess In the motion picture “The Color Purple” it shows the hardship and pain that each character went through. It showcases all the hurt and also the joy of life. “The Color Purple” a film based on the novel “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, is a depiction of a courageous southern black woman (Celie Johnson) on her journeys through life's troubling moments and new humble beginnings. Within watching “The Color Purple” one immediately knows that Celie, the main character is also the

In the autobiography “I know why the caged bird sings” by Maya Angelou, Marguerite sees Mrs. Flowers as the measure of what a human being can be. Marguerite lives with her grandmother, and looks up to a member of her neighborhood, Mrs. Flowers. The shame Marguerite has when her grandmother speaks to Mrs. Flowers is astronomical. One day when Marguerite luckily gets to go to the home of Mrs. Flowers, she is given books to read and remember and to Marguerite it proved she liked her. The measure of

Throughout many of Maya Angelou’s poems, she conveys a message of the importance of confidence in oneself which helps an individual rise above their struggles. In Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” she introduces a strong speaker who is self-assured and refuses to apologize for her existence. Not only does she not apologize for her existence, but she refuses to allow others to bring her down. This message is strengthened by Angelou’s use of literary devices. “Still I Rise” contains similes, rhetorical