Maya Angelou On The Pulse Of The Morning Summary

merica’s Future “A Rock, A River, A Tree / Hosts to species long since departed, / Marked the mastodon.” (Lines 1-3). Maya Angelou wrote the inaugural poem “On the Pulse of Morning” for Bill Clinton’s new presidency term in 1993. In her poem she starts with the acknowledging that the rocks, rivers, and trees each have seen many generations come and go.

In the Declaration of Independence it is stated, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration). With this being said, people have no right to ridicule and judge others for their gender or their race because everyone is equal. "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou is a powerful poem that beautifully puts together how prejudice people continue to put down others, but through it all they still continue to fight back. Maya Angelou uses similes, metaphors, rhetorical questions, and repetition to inspire women and African Americans. Maya Angelou uses similes throughout the majority

Peace is something that most every person wishes for, however, it is something that has been unattainable between humans. But in nature, peace is something that a rock, a river, and a tree have experienced long before humans came around wielding swards and nasty words. In Maya Angelou’s poem On the Pulse of the Morning, which was read during the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993, these objects of nature had long ago seen a simpler time that was more humble and peaceful, but they no longer can because of the mess that humans have made. They plead for peace and tranquility.

“On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou was a poem read at the inauguration of former President Bill Clinton in 1993. Angelou’s poem was only the second to be read at a President’s inauguration, and she was the first woman to deliver any form of speech at a presidential inauguration. The poem was delivered at a pivotal time not only in the nation’s government, but also in its society. Just two years prior, the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers took place, and the riots in his name soon followed. Angelou’s poem was one that called for peace in society, as well as the need to recognize diversity.

Maya Angelou was a very influential woman who had an interesting life. She was a poet, civil rights activist, and much more. She got many awards for her work and overcame segregation. Since we are learning about Maya Angelou, the beginning would be a better place to start. Maya Angelou was born in 1928 which was a time when segregation was very real.

Poetry allows some of the most influential people in literature history to express powerful observations about society and their experiences. Maya Angelou has written some of the most inspiring poems based around her life, often acknowledged as one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century. Born in St Louis, Missouri on April 28th, 1928, Angelou has experienced the full force of racial prejudice in The United States. To express her experiences and beliefs from the prejudice, she started to write poetry. Poems such as 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ' and 'Still I Rise ' both have similar themes and messages that reflect Angelou 's personal endeavours and experiences.

When I read this text something in me made me shy away from feeling sorry for her, as I felt she was not fazed by her oppressors. If Angelou did not keep her head up high, I would definitely want to reach out and help, to cry out in compassion and say that I feel your pain. I felt this because the way in which Angelou describes the feats in her life with such vivid imagery made me feel the text was more of a tale of defiance and victory rather than a tale of the struggles she went through. For example, in the second and fifth stanza’s she talks about herself owning “oil wells” and “gold mines.” She writes that she laughs “like ive got gold mines diggn’ in my own backyard” and that she walks “like ive got oil wells pumping in my living room.”

“Symanthy”, a poem written by Paul Laurence Dunbar in 1899, tells the story of a bird stuck in a cage as it beats its wing on the bars and wails for help. “Caged Bird”, a piece by Maya Angelou in 1983, depicts a free bird, dancing through the wind, and a caged bird, crying for helps with its clipped wings and his binded feet. The caged birds from these poems are very similar, but the caged bird’s call for help from Maya Angelou’s poem is heard and hints that help is in the future for the bird, which makes Angelou’s poem more meaningful than Dubar’s. “Sympathy”, the poem, shows the pain and true reason why the caged bird sings. Dunbar reveals why the caged bird sings when he says,”It is not a carol of joy or glee,/…

The way Maya Angelou wrote the poem it makes it very easy to see the imagery in each stanza. Angelou says "it 's the fire in my eyes, and the flash of my teeth, the swing in my waist, and the joy in my feet"(22-25). In this quote, you can picture women walking into a room with her head held high and being proud of whom she is, in the way that Maya describes her self. The reader is able to picture Angelous inner strength because of how she words everything. "I don 't shout or jump about, Or have to talk real loud when you see me passing, it ought to make you proud"(48-51).

The sonnet contains a rich assortment of writing gadgets including allegorical likenesses and numerous suggestions, which splendidly pass on Angelus ' soul and graceful soul to perusers. "Still I Rise" shows a profound understanding into the truth of a dark female 's strife in 1950‟s America Angelou‟s graceful motivation was gotten from her background. "Angelou experienced childhood in a little isolated town in the profound South where she needed to keep her expectations up with a specific end goal to survive all the racial contempt" ("Research Papers… "). Her dull youth was insinuated in the third line "You may tread me in the exceptionally earth" (Angelou).

While analyzing Maya Angelou 's poem Phenomenal woman recognizing that she is a very strong and confident poet helps understand the meaning of the poem. Showing her confidence is one of her many aspects of this poem. The reader can infer that she really wants to show the world what makes her beautiful by expressing this in various ways. The tone of this poem is very inspiring and uplifting to allow women to read her poem and feel inspired. Angelou who is a strong confident woman who does not bother what people think about her celebrates her success in life.

The poem 'Phenomenal Woman' begins with directly addressing the stereotypes that are placed on women in society. This is done when Angelou states what she feels a woman's qualities are supposed to be by saying. ' I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size' which shows the reader that while she might be aware of the pressures and expectations that are placed on women, she is not willing to conform to these; an idea that comes from the fact that the first stanza is based around her successes despite being different from what some would call the "ideal woman". This is a way of presenting sexism in the poem because it shows that women are fully aware of the standards that are placed upon them and while this particular part in the poem can be seen as referring to successes, it also raises awareness to the fact that some may still be oppressed due to not adhering to these expectations.

This poem tackles the idea of equal rights and respect of those different than one. A theme in this poem is the ability to overcome in confidence. Maya Angelou, a confident African American, uses poetry to overcome oppression that she faces. She starts the poem saying, “you may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies” (Angelou). This implies that Angelou has a name worth writing down in history, she has a well known place in history.

"Phenomenal Woman" written by Maya Angelou is a poem that every woman can relate to. Angelou explains how she is a confident woman throughout each stanza. Harold Bloom states that "In this Hymn-like poem to women 's beauty, the self-confident speaker reveals her attributes as a phenomenal woman". Angelou tries to show her confidence in every line of the poem and then states what parts of her body actually shows that confidence and inner strength. Vitality Kotyakov said that "Modern society highly values women 's beauty"(Analysis of Phenomenal Women By Maya Angelou).

Author’s often use their own techniques to demonstrate their themes, making their pieces their very own. Maya Angelou uses her poem, “Human Family” to express her opinion on celebrating differences. Moreover, Obama uses his powerful speech, full of anecdotes and historical allusions, to develop his theme that as a diverse nation, we truly are one. These two texts share the common theme that out of our many, celebrated differences, nations truly are one. However, they each have unique ways of sharing these themes.