Maya Angelou Graduation Analysis

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” he uses periodic sentences, syntax, diction, and allusions to write about his beliefs about the immense struggles African Americans experienced to gain their rights, how he views just and unjust laws, the many different influences have in their lives, and the cruel nature of the citizens, which are still prevalent today.

Martin Luther King’s Jr. “Letters from the Birmingham Jail” is a powerful piece of literature that denounces racism and segregation. His eloquent articulation of segregation in America truly gives the reader a sense of what he and his people had to endure. After a few paragraphs I could already see King’s pure genius and intellect; his ideas had the ability jump off the paper and embedded themselves into one’s conscious. He made it feel as if you were living this scary, but ever so real life with him. Consequently he used this sheer power to fix an unjust system of racial prejudice, which needed to be altered.

Many essays have different meanings, symbols, or lessons that one can take from reading them. Lessons are teachings in which you take on your everyday life that you've learned in the past or from experience. You can learn lessons like; don't judge a person because of where they come from, what they look like, or for who they are. While reading an essay, you can encounter a lesson you might take on in your everyday life.

In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation” she spoke about a fictional character named Marguerite Johnson and her eighth-grade graduation. Marguerite was always kinda of lost and selfish at times, and never look at how others seen things. But as the story goes on Marguerite starts to find herself and understand others. “Graduation” isn’t just about how Marguerite pass on to the next grade but how she has grown from a lost girl to a young intelligence woman. In this story the reader is going to follower her on this surprising journey.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. depict a society that was built on the remnants of slavery within “Racism: The Cancer that is Destroying America” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. depict a society that was built on the remnants of slavery. With racism and segregation at the core of everyday life, both men joined the Civil Rights Movement with determination to make a change. Working towards the common goal of African American civil rights during the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X took a stand for civil justice in contrasting ways. Within their writing, both men used the theme of racism to convey a direct tone, used differing keywords and phrases, and referenced religious beliefs.

Once again, Maya Angelou manages to touch our hearts again with her poetic skills in Chapter 19 titled The Champion of the World in her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She recalls a time in her life where the African American community gathered at her grandmother's and uncle's store to hear a boxing match via radio. The boxing match was between the former champion Joe Louis and a white boxer. Maya Angelou takes the meaning of a simple boxing match into something more complex; she demonstrates the suffrage of her people fighting against oppression during that time period. She shows us that despite the injustices that may occur, there will always be victory for those who truly deserve it.

Many writers and speakers have been influenced by the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a Dream" and Frederick Douglass "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July". These speeches have helped evolve the history so drastically that black American’s now have freedom and to never be segregated like they were in the past. Martin Luther King Jr and Frederick Douglass are strong spokesmen that pointed out the differences between the blacks and whites. This paper will over their history’s, the video of Martin Luther King Jr's speech, similarities of the speeches and the differences In the speech, how they relate to logos, ethos, and pathos.

The Civil rights movement was a long and hard fight for freedom in our nation. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the many people who devoted themselves and fought for the movement. He did it in hope to make the world a better place. Outraged and indignant, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham city jail” addresses the events that took place in the name of freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. reflects on the events, through his use of tone, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical tools.

Nowadays, we live in such a multicultural society, that one would hardly believe that words such as discrimination and racism still exist. They are so deeply-rooted in our community that they often go unnoticed in our everyday lives. Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of peaceful protests against the segregation of black people in America in the 1960s. Nonetheless, his nonviolent ideas failed to bring equality and he was compelled to take action. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was written 1963. It is in the form of an open letter, which means that its purpose was to be seen by the public and its readers were able to make their own judgments on the issues at hand. It was written as a response to the letter of eight clergymen who expressed their dissatisfaction of King’s protests in Birmingham. The main thesis of the Birmingham letter is that black people would no longer stand idly and watch as the white community denies them their rights given by God.

a. Maya Angelou was an avid writer, speaker, activist and teacher. As a result of the many hardships that she suffered while growing up as a poor black woman in the south she has used her own experiences as the subject matter of her written work. In doing this she effectively shows how she was able to overcome her personal obstacles. Her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) tells the story of her life and how she overcame and moved forward triumphantly in spite of her circumstances. She asks her readers to rise above their defeats, to not allow anyone to stop their dreams. In demonstrating how she succeeded she has been a role model for women of all cultures and races. The “Phenomenal Women” poem is a celebration

Inequality and racism have always been present in the history of America. Many people battle these injustices through different forms, such as writing, speaking, or protesting. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Frederick Douglass are both experienced in writing and speaking against certain injustices. In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” as well as in Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” they claim that injustice and inequality must be combatted in order for everyone to be free and equal.

Angelou’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and her achievements as an activist were remarkable. While these achievements seem to be enough to last a lifetime, the Civil Rights Movement was only the beginning for Angelou. Angelou worked as an outspoken Civil Rights activist during the movement. But even after the Civil Rights Movement had ended, she continued to be a voice of humanity, speaking out against anything that harmed the human spirit. Angelou moved on to influence American society as a whole, from the 1970’s to the day she died, May 28, 2014. She was a multi-talented person as Toni Morrison, a friend and contemporary of Angelou, expressed: “She had 19 talents and used 10. And she was a real original.” (qtd, in Sherwell, 2014).

Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. A Brief History with Documents written by David Howard-Pitney is a great history book that gives us an entry into two important American thinkers and a tumultuous part of American history. This 207-pages book was published by Bedford/St. Martin’s in Boston, New York on February 20, 2004. David Howard-Pitney worked at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University in 1986, and that made him a specialist on American civil religion and African-American leaders ' thought and rhetoric (208). Another publication of Howard-Pitney is The African-American Jeremiad: Appeals for Justice in America. Howard-Pitney made this book interesting by representing

In terms of legacies, Martin Luther King Jr. is an example of someone whose legacy has left an impact on a great many fields. The first to come to mind for most would be civil rights activism, as he was an instrumental figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. However, Martin Luther King Jr is an extremely influential figure in the field of oration and rhetoric. His Letter from Birmingham Jail is a work that he wrote while incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail in response to criticism from Alabama clergymen. This letter is a prime example of King’s expertise in constructing persuasive rhetoric that appealed to the masses at large. Because of his skill in creating such pieces of writing, as well as his influential role within the Civil Rights Movement, and the reminder that Letter from Birmingham Jail provides of these trying times, his letter should continue to be included within A World of Ideas.

‘Still I Rise’ by the American, Maya Angelou presents the character of a black woman who is oppressed in the 1970s but refuses to accept this. ‘Disabled’ by Wilfred Owen, however, is concerned with a character who is ‘broken’ after the disabilities he suffers in the First World War at the beginning of the twentieth century.