Resistance to oppression Resistance to oppression is a fluid theme throughout these two works of literature, Angelou in Still I rise, An ode to the power that brews in us all to overcome our most difficult circumstances, and is truly an inspiration to all homestayers in the sixties no matter Their race. Her status as being a powerful black woman in the house, portrays her self confidence to override anything that puts her down as she will always exceed to rise up. “Some declared the institution of marriage to be a form of slavery and thus recommended its abolition” (Somers 263). Susan Rawlings in To Room Nineteen saw suicide as her only outlet to her lack of freedom in her marriage. “One of Angelou's main themes in “Still I Rise” is to say, “I like …show more content…
Resistance to oppression is a fluid theme throughout these two works of literature, Angelou in Still I rise, An ode to the power that brews in us all to overcome our most difficult circumstances, and is truly an inspiration to all homestayers in the sixties no matter Their race. “She speaks not only for herself but also for her gender and race. This extension of self occurs in Angelou's autobiographies and protest poetry” (Hagen 118). Her status as being a powerful black woman in the house, portrays her self confidence to override anything that puts her down as she will always exceed to rise up. While on the other hand Susan Rawlings in To Room Nineteen saw suicide as her only outlet to her lack of freedom in her marriage. “Some declared the institution of marriage to be a form of slavery and thus recommended its abolition”(Somers 263). Self confidence and the outcome of standing up for yourself are the main connecting themes, Mrs. Rawlings fails to stand up towards her degrading social role, while Maya in Still I rise exceeds and flourishes in wearing the pants in her
Throughout history, humans have had their rights taken away from them due to their race, religion, and gender. The “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. King best conveys the central idea that human beings who live in a violently oppressive society suffer Injustice. However, some may say that “Women” by Alice Walker has best conveyed the suffering of human injustice. Women have suffered injustice throughout history; although some of this is true, the Negro community have suffered the most injustice. The Negro community has suffered injustice by the white community due to the color of their skin.
What was it like living in the world of an African American woman in the 1940s? An excerpt from the book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings titled “Occupation: Conductorette” is an autobiography by Maya Angelou. Maya shares her story of how she was discriminated against throughout her life, specifically her teenage years. By examining the autobiography and explanations, the reader will understand how minorities, specifically African Americans, were treated and discriminated against in the 1940s and 50s. Discrimination has always been illustrated in our nation; Maya Angelou experiences this throughout her life and in the workforce.
Stanton and Angelou “We may encounter defeat, but we must not be defeated” said Maya Angelou. This quote explains that Cady Stanton and Maya Angelou were women that were determined to succeed. In 1840, Cady Stanton wrote the piece “Declaration of Sentiments” to empower women to stand up for their rights. In 1990 Maya Angelou wrote “ On the Pulse of Morning” to inspire people to live everyday to the fullest and not to waste any moments. Although these women bear some minor similarities, the differences in beliefs between Cady Stanton and Maya Angelou bear some similarities.
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.”
America is a symbol of freedom. The poems “I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou both describe how America was rather unfair during their times. Langston Hughes was a key figure during the Harlem Renaissance and Maya Angelou did not become famous or recognized until her first autobiography. Even though “I, Too, Sing America” and “Still I Rise” have completely different tones, they both convey the message of how inequality was prevalent in America. Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou both talk about how in the future they will come back and be free.
During the Civil Rights movement, civil rights activists used many nonviolent methods to protest the existence of inequality. One method, as paradoxical as it may be considering King’s apparent aversion of hate and strain, was the creation of tension. In Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he wrote about his views on constructive tension and its role in forcing confrontation. Based on the given unjust situations, combined with the peaceful, nonviolent nature of the tension, King’s method is clearly agreeable.
As a black woman she created a space for women to show their confidence as well as be comfortable within their own skin despite their background. Throughout her pieces, her artistic voice captures her strength, courage, and resilience which resonates with her readers. This is especially seen throughout her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which is “credited with helping other abuse survivors tell their stories” (Spring). Despite schools wanting to ban the book for its depiction of abuse, over a million copies have sold worldwide and it has been translated into a variety of languages (Spring). This demonstrates Angelou’s wide-reaching influence as more and more people are willing to read her pieces and learn about her experience as a black woman that has influenced so many other black women.
In the case of the books “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, it is obvious that, apart from entertainment, there is at least one more purpose of writing. Both Achebe 's and Angelou 's work, have in common the fact, that they have been written in order to relate information to the readers. “Things Fall Apart” serves the purpose of writing an alternative history and making the Igbo culture known, while “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” serves the purpose of raising awareness and educating its readers about the racial segregation in the United States, during the great depression, as well as providing them with the reason as to why Maya decided to become a writer. Angelou, however writes her story, not only for the sake of her readers, but also for herself, because it is a way of self-healing and relief.
Let us say someone encountered a bump in life or something bad happened people will always move past it eventually because people cannot let something weigh them down for the rest of their lives. The big message or idea of these two poems is to keep moving on because people will always have to deal with problems. In “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou they both convey the message that people should never give up and keep on rising no matter what happens or what people say. Throughout the poem “Mother to Son,” Langston Hughes coveys that people should always keep pushing towards their goals and not give up.
In the Victorian era, women were forced to marry, as they needed the security of a man. However, Austen uses logos to question the real inequality in the Victorian era’s ideology, that a woman is incomplete without a man. This allows the reader to analyse the state of society from a different perspective. Austen also starts her sentence with an assertive tone further supported with her firm word choices, through using the words, ‘…truth universally acknowledged’. These words are important in her building ethos allowing her to deliver her controversial message.
She is a young girl who is forced to marry at a young age, to a man who abuses her physically and emotionally. Sally faces the conflict of being trapped in a marriage she did not choose and in a situation where she is unable to leave. She is constantly reminded of her lack of control over her life and the abuse she experiences in her marriage, which ultimately takes a toll on her mental and emotional health. This conflict highlights the power dynamics within marriage and the lack of agency that women often face in patriarchal societies. ” Sally got married like we knew she would, young and not ready but married just the same.
In Hughes’ poem “I, Too”, he states in the second stanza that “They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed—”. When he says this, he describes how racism gets in the way of seeing people as they truly are, rather than just by their physical appearance and race. In Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise”, she shares her opinions about racism in a more direct manner when she says, “Does my sexiness upset you?/ Does it come as a surprise/ That I dance like I’ve got diamonds/ At the meeting of my thighs?”
Jane Austen auspiciously illustrates societies concept of marriage in her novel. England’s early nineteenth century was measured off of class, wealth, and etiquette. The social status of a woman
The world is no stranger to oppression. Madness driven from an inferiority complex based on racial stigma. Prohibition of freedom being yet another way to inflate this expanding social divide between the oppressors and the oppressed, between white and black. Within the poem I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, this concept of social division due to the desire of freedom and the desire to restrict the freedom of others is explored through the implementation of a variety of literary devices: symbolism, metaphors, sudden tone shifts, and a constant underlying allegory. Driven by her own experiences being raised during a time period where segregation and racism were acceptable behavior amongst the masses, Angelou illustrates this problematic normalization of discrimination through the juxtaposition of a free bird to a caged bird to convey the theme of oppression and the hope of freedom brought on by such.
The tone is angry but yet determined, whereas the surroundings will not cause defeat. There is hope, hope for a better place but also hope for a better future. One that looks past race, but expresses freedom. The freedom to not judge one by color but embrace one another, live with in equality. Angelou describes the denial of basic freedom, actually being held down because of the shade of one’s