In both, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and Mary Oliver’s “The Journey”, the speaker utilizes a different style of diction and figurative language in order to appeal to their different audiences regarding two similar yet different subjects. Both poems ultimately suggests one to fight against matters that are deemed oppressive in order to move towards a brighter future although their purpose is depicted differently. This message is effectively delivered through the use of different methods of tone: Angelou utilizes a sarcastic and defiant tone, whereas Oliver settles on a more troubled and assured tone. In Maya Angelou’s poem, Angelou has no problem criticizing society for its discrimination between race and gender and promptly lays out a suggestion
What both of these characters fought and strived for came to be true presently. Although, many little achievements were met, their ultimate goals became a success. Angelou tells about the people in an individual's life, presently and from the past. They went through and overcame struggles, working hard for future generations to be free as analyzed within one of the many quotes, “ But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully, come, you may stand upon my and face your distant destiny, but seek no haven in my shadow” (Angelou 9-12). One individual who could play an example of one of the symbolic images Angelou describes is Stanton.
“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.
Both poems shed light on the true feelings of African Americans everywhere and show that these people are tired of being treated differently and that these people know that things will change. Hughes’s poem has a laid back approach, almost expecting things to get better on their own. But Angelou’s poem is a bit more attacking. Instead of accepting that things are the way they are and that they’ll get better, Angelou tries to make her oppressors seem less oppressive to her and more scared of her by saying things such as “Do you want to see me broken” and “Does my sexiness offend
This small muscle, located in the mouth, impacts large spheres in the world, such as jobs, politics, and relationships. In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation Day”, she narrates her graduation and the events that surround the day. Angelou portrays the power of words throughout her narrative and how they impact her thoughts. Because words, whether careless or thoughtful, persuade, they can enrich or belittle the human spirit. First, words shape the human spirit and have the power to unite.
In Langston Hughes’s poem “I, Too, Sing America”, the context of the poem is based off of when he was segregated with an American family and how he will take a stand without hesitating. Langston Hughes is able to show the confidence and the beauty of a different race to another race showing that individuals are all equal. In Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise”, she is talking to a single person and communicates the potential of an individual when it comes to fighting for what is right. Maya Angelou describes her personal characteristics that may have obstructed the individual’s life. Although the individual that she is talking about has bashed her and mistreated her, she is seen as a great example to many other African Americans who have faced segregation by still standing up to what she believes in despite the bitterness she may have received.
It was the first time anyone had been invited to read a poem since John F. Kennedy invited Robert Frost in 1961. Angelou was the first African American and the first women honored in this way. Angelou felt that Clinton made the request because "he understood that I (Angelou) am the kind of person who really does bring people together.” (qtd, in Manegold, 1993) Her strong and influential poem reached millions of television viewers. In this poem “On the Pulse of the Morning”, Angelou refers to different races, cultures, and religions all working together. The main theme and purpose of this poem was for Angelou to point out to all of humankind that they need to return to the original foundations that made the country great, including basic values and an appreciation of nature (Bloom, 2001).
Angelou’s tone perfectly illustrates the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. She writes joyously, with a hint of sadness and malcontentment reflecting the racial prejudices of the South during the 1940s. She uses phrases like “sunlight itself was young” and describes herself as “the center of the moment” to convey the excitement and joy she felt as a child on the days leading up to her graduation. She also interjects more sobering statements, such as when she speaks of “hanging ropes of parasitic moss and speaks of wishing everybody dead to characterize the struggle of African Americans during the 40s. The tone of these segments is malcontentment, sadness, and anger over the subjugation of blacks
In reading the passage “Encounter with Martin Luther King Jr.”, it shows a very important moment in Maya Angelou’s life. In the passage, Maya Angelou does not include much of diction or sensory details. Even though these two characteristics are missing, she has a strong grip on characterization of both Martin Luther King Jr. and herself while the dialogue is also well written. The diction in her passage is lacking. In the passage, Maya Angelou does not use powerful and strongly meaning words.
Angelou uses achievement in the poem, saying people all have rock, rivers, and trees in their lives, and that affects people on how they make decisions and how they turn out. She says “Good morning” (Angelou 106). This idea means that people have a new day to do whatever they want, and they can achieve anything they desire. To put it another way, Cady Stanton was the complete opposite from Angelou; She was talking about rights women should have , also how men have affected that. A good quote to explain this is, “Man has made a women an irresponsible moral being” (Stanton 113).