Maya Angelou Courage

Maya Angelou once said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” This quote of hers invokes strength and courage through her tone and use of stylistic devices. Maya Angelou beliefs on the human spirit and freedom are of strength and courage. Her beliefs are interpreted by her style from four of her works of literature: an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, “New Directions,” “Caged Bird,” and “Woman Work.” From an excerpt in her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou’s tone is personal and philosophical, as well as the dialect reflects her belief of

She uses a hyperbole such as, “She indeed stepped from the road which seemed to have been chosen for her and cut herself a brand-new path” (Angelou, “New Directions” 498). Her grandmother couldn’t actually cut a new piece of road, but Angelou’s metaphor leaks with her grandmother’s courage to make a life for herself. Angelou’s overall tone is persistent and proud. Her grandmother’s persistent need to make a better life took greats amounts of strength to

The consonance sounds “add” a lengthened amount of work that the protagonist must somehow find enough strength to finish it. As for tone though, the protagonist asks for nature to somehow give her time to rest (Angelou, “Woman Work” 499). The stressed tone seems to envelop around the human’s need for a break, but the protagonist must find strength and maybe courage to continue for the sake of her children.

In Maya Angelou’s four of her works of literature: an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, “Caged Bird,” “New Directions,” and “Woman Work, Her tones consisted of stress, sorrow, persistence, and philosophy. The stylistic devices used were extended metaphors, consonance, hyperbole and dialect. These are used to interpret her beliefs of strength and courage, but her beliefs in the human spirit and freedom could also be seen as resilience or bravery. Whatever she believes, remember this, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them” ―Maya