Maya Angelou, whose birth name is Marguerite Ann Johnson, is a well-known poet and writer and is known as “America’s most visible black female autobiographer” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou). In her work, some themes she has focused on are oppression, the idea of womanhood and motherhood, feminism, racism, family, and more. Angelou has accomplished many great things in her life, including being part of the Civil rights movement, reading her poem at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, and working as Northern Coordinator of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In her poem Still I Rise, she focuses on the problems of oppression and the idea of womanhood. The ideas of oppression are expressed as she questions the reader about what is expected of her and why people are surprised or upset by her actions that do not fit those expectations. She asks questions such as “Do you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops. Weakened by my soulful cries,” (Angelou). She also uses many examples of what women are expected to be and to act like. For instance, she says, “Does my sassiness upset you?” and “Does my haughtiness offend you?” By this, she is explaining how women are expected to always be respectful and never use a negative tone of voice that would make them seem proud, even if they are not happy about a situation.
Another poem called “Our Grandmothers” is about motherhood and racism. She tells a story about a mother who is going to be sold by her master and is trying to protect her children. She repeats the saying “I shall not be moved” implying that no matter what happens or how she is treated, she will not let it change her life or beliefs. She gives examples of degrading names people call her and says “I shall not be moved.” She does what she can to protect her children and her beliefs, which is in a way similar to “The Revolt of Mother” and how Sarah Penn stands up for her children and beliefs even when it was against what was sociably acceptable.
The poem “Phenomenal Woman” focuses on the ideas of beauty, womanhood, and oppression. She gives many examples of what a “beautiful” woman is expected to look like and how she doesn’t fit that description but still sees herself as a phenomenal woman. This can be compared to “The Bluest Eye” and how the idea of beauty is defined by society and how it affects the characters in the story. However, instead of coming to terms with the ideas, Angelou goes against those beliefs and shows that they don’t matter to her. The fourth poem in this book is called “Weekend Glory” and is about racism and feminism. It is about a black woman working in a factory and being judged for it. She explains how she is fine with her life and makes enough money to support herself while still enjoying her time on the weekends like everyone else.
In all of these poems, she describes how she deals with the problems of oppression, racism, etc. As said on her official website, “Within the rhythm of her poetry and elegance of her prose lies Angelou’s unique power to help readers of every orientation span the lines of race and Angelou captivates audiences through the vigor and sheer beauty of her words and lyrics,” (http://mayaangelou.com/).
Citations
Angelou, Maya. “Still I Rise.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. n.d. Web. 20 April 2010.
Angelou, Maya. “Phenomenal Woman.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. n.d. Web. 20 April 2010.
Angelou, Maya. “Weekend Glory.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter. n.d. Web. 20 April 2010.
Angelou, Maya. “Our Grandmothers.” Poems. 16 March 1996. Web. 20 April 2010. http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/angelou/poems-ma.html#our grandmothers
Angelou, Maya. Maya Angelou-The Official Website. 2010. Web. 20 April 2010. http://mayaangelou.com/
Good job! That was a really well written and well thought-out analysis of some of her poems. I liked how you related some of her themes with the themes of other works that we've read during the semester.
ReplyDeleteI recommend you read "Letter to My Daughter". I received that book as a gift and read it all immediately. Once I opened it, I couldnt close it. It was so inspirational and really made me want to go out into the world and do something and stop complaining about life. It also made me feel like I was beautiful no matter what I looked like.
The book was basically a "letter" to every young woman or girl and gave inspirational messages and lessons to live by. Any girl of any race or background can enjoy it. It is a great read and its not long at all.
--Arielle Cole
Maya Angelou’s work seems to be a reflection of many topics that we have discussed in class. Her work on oppression, stereotypes/expectations, beauty ideals, motherhood, racism, and feminism resonate throughout the examples/excerpts provided by the group. The way that the group concentrated on the themes mentioned above while analyzing the texts worked really well as a way to summarize Maya’s writings. The analysis of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings made was the one that made me want to read this book the most. It seemed like the best one to be able to learn about the author. Her work seems of very good quality and I hope that I get time to read some of her poems. The group seems to have worked well together to have made a blog full of useful information for getting to know the author. The aesthetics of the page work well to keep the reader interested, too. I would like to learn more about how Maya and her writings were a part of the Civil Rights Movement?
ReplyDeleteThank you both for your comments. Maya Angelou is definitely a great example of a great female artist. She's not afraid to say how she feels and stand up for what she believes in. I'm glad you enjoyed the page and I hope you both are able to find time to learn more about her. And thanks for the suggestion of "Letter to My Daughter." I will have to read it.
ReplyDeleteRegan Aurich
Great job! I like how you related all of the topics with what we discussed in class. You opened quoting that Maya Angelou is an autobiographer, but in your discussion of her works, you didn't mention how she is an autobiographer. Does she have other works that are more of an autobiography, or are her poems autobiographical?
ReplyDelete-Ashley Fellers
awesome job on your blog! i really liked you're interpretation on her poems. It was very nicely written and kept my interest. I also liked how you gave a brief biography of Maya Angelou in the beginning of you're blog it gave me information about the author before reading about her poems. It helped me relate her life to her writings. great job!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog. I thought it was very well written and it seems you really enjoyed learning about her. Reading your interpretation and how you incorporated information about her personality beforehand helped me understand Angelou better. I also liked how you tied the poems together with class themes. I also would have liked reading information on her civil rights activism and education.
ReplyDeleteKory O'Hara-Hanley
Ashley: Her six book series is an autobiography of her early life. She starts with I Know Whe the Caged Bird Sings which is about the first seventeen years of her life, which is what Hannah wrote about.
ReplyDeleteBrian, Tracy, Lisette, and Kory: Thank you for your compliments. I made sure to explain her life before hand because that usually makes it easier to understand the artists work.
Regan Aurich