This is a collection of poems written by Maya Angelou with four distinct sections (Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie, Oh Pray My Wings are Gonna Fit Me Well, And Still I Rise, and Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing?). I read this book last to gain as much knowledge of her background as I could in order to potentially understand where many of her poems came from.
Repetition is used quite often in Maya Angelou’s poems, strengthening the purpose and reinforcing the central theme. For example, in her poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,” she uses the phrase “Life doesn’t frighten me at all.” after every second and fifth line. (“Shadows on the wall/Noises down the hall/Life doesn’t frighten me at all/Bad dogs barking loud/Big ghosts in a cloud/Life doesn’t frighten me at all.” (p 158)). This line explicitly tells the purpose, however in poems such as “When I Think About Myself” she repeats the phrase “When I think about myself” three times exactly like that, but changes it for the very last line to read “When I think about my folks.” The repetition here is effective because of the fact that it changes while still directing the reader to the purpose of the poem (sometimes in dire situations the only way to cope is with laughter).
Maya Angelou spent a large portion of her life as a singing and dancing performer extraordinaire, and it shows in her poetry. She uses short and descriptive statements one after the other, often with a slight rhyme scheme to really make the poem flow and sing. In the first stanza of her poem “Africa,” the lines all flow very well as if like water, “Thus she had lain/sugar cane sweet/deserts her hair/golden her feet/mountains her breasts/two Niles her tears/Thus she has lain/Black through the years.” (p 77). The diction is simple, yet creates poignant imagery and almost seems to sing right off the page and dance back and forth. I also learned that the shortness of the lines adds to the direction and speed of the poem without sacrificing any meaning or purpose.
I’ve been known to do this in text messages, but not in poetry and I’m interested in giving it a try. In her poem “Amoebaean For Daddy,” Maya Angelou uses parentheses to seemingly create a second, more personal and quiet voice that speaks directly to the reader. For instance the first stanza reads, “I was a pretty baby./White folks used to stop/My mother/Just to look at me./(All black babies/Are Cute.) Mother called me/Bootsie and Daddy said.../(Nobody listened to him).” (p 178). The random phrases in parentheses reminds me of someone making a side comment, or bending down and whispering something extra and unofficial about the piece done purely for the benefit of the reader. It reminds me of someone whispering behind their hand to someone to the side, maybe a secret. I learned that the casual nature of parentheses can make the reader feel they are reading something very special and personal, thus drawing them in more and making a stronger connection between writer and reader.
Repetition is used quite often in Maya Angelou’s poems, strengthening the purpose and reinforcing the central theme. For example, in her poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,” she uses the phrase “Life doesn’t frighten me at all.” after every second and fifth line. (“Shadows on the wall/Noises down the hall/Life doesn’t frighten me at all/Bad dogs barking loud/Big ghosts in a cloud/Life doesn’t frighten me at all.” (p 158)). This line explicitly tells the purpose, however in poems such as “When I Think About Myself” she repeats the phrase “When I think about myself” three times exactly like that, but changes it for the very last line to read “When I think about my folks.” The repetition here is effective because of the fact that it changes while still directing the reader to the purpose of the poem (sometimes in dire situations the only way to cope is with laughter).
Maya Angelou spent a large portion of her life as a singing and dancing performer extraordinaire, and it shows in her poetry. She uses short and descriptive statements one after the other, often with a slight rhyme scheme to really make the poem flow and sing. In the first stanza of her poem “Africa,” the lines all flow very well as if like water, “Thus she had lain/sugar cane sweet/deserts her hair/golden her feet/mountains her breasts/two Niles her tears/Thus she has lain/Black through the years.” (p 77). The diction is simple, yet creates poignant imagery and almost seems to sing right off the page and dance back and forth. I also learned that the shortness of the lines adds to the direction and speed of the poem without sacrificing any meaning or purpose.
I’ve been known to do this in text messages, but not in poetry and I’m interested in giving it a try. In her poem “Amoebaean For Daddy,” Maya Angelou uses parentheses to seemingly create a second, more personal and quiet voice that speaks directly to the reader. For instance the first stanza reads, “I was a pretty baby./White folks used to stop/My mother/Just to look at me./(All black babies/Are Cute.) Mother called me/Bootsie and Daddy said.../(Nobody listened to him).” (p 178). The random phrases in parentheses reminds me of someone making a side comment, or bending down and whispering something extra and unofficial about the piece done purely for the benefit of the reader. It reminds me of someone whispering behind their hand to someone to the side, maybe a secret. I learned that the casual nature of parentheses can make the reader feel they are reading something very special and personal, thus drawing them in more and making a stronger connection between writer and reader.