Maya Angelou

 Word Count: 254

"Caged Bird" and "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

    These poems both depict the struggles of Maya Angelou, and how she dealt with them. The first poem, "Caged Bird," describes the feeling of being trapped. She juxtaposes stanzas depicting a free bird flying in the sky with a bird in a cage. This shows what it felt like to be a black woman during this era. She was watching white women excel, especially through the feminist movement, but she was still trapped by her race. The poem states. "his wings were clipped and / his feet are tied / so he opens his throat to sing" (Angelou). The bird's singing represents Angelou writing poetry. It is her way of matching the freedom of everyone else. It is her way of feeling as free as a bird flying.

    The second poem, "Phenomenal Woman," shows Angelou's strength. This poem is the first we have read in this class that one can truly see the themes of the feminist movement. All the other works seemed to be feminist pieces, but only if you read into them. This one demonstrates her power as a woman. She does not need to make herself more masculine to assert her dominance. The reader sees this when she described what makes her a confident woman, "it's in the reach of my arms, / the span of my hips, / the stride of my step, / the curl of my lips." These are aspects of her body that make her a woman, but it is also the passion that is inside her. 

Comments

  1. Kristen SassoApril 24, 2021 at 11:21 AM

    I agree that the poem Caged Bird by Maya Angelou shows how trapped and confined she was during this time. She felt like she was secluded due to feeling different and trapped from those around her. In the poem, Phenomenal Woman it demonstrates the power and confidence women have. In the poem she explains how you just need to be yourself and you don’t need to change for other people. By being yourself, shows the power and confidence you have without the influence of others.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jolie JacobyApril 27, 2021 at 6:14 AM

    I agree with your descriptions of both of these poems. Maya Angelou is a strong woman who was able to overcome hardships and we see that in these poems. The first one, with the comparison of the caged bird and her life as a black woman, one can see how hard it was to be treated so unfairly due to skin color. Angelou was a magnificent writer; however, was overlooked due to her race. This is what made her feel like a caged bird because she watched as white women were beginning to feel free during the feminist movement, yet she did not because of her skin color. Furthermore, the second poem shows how strong she is and women are in general. I agree that before this, many of our pieces that explains the power that women have. As a woman, but especially a black woman, Angelou struggled; however, one can see how strong she was through both of these pieces.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mrs. Dalloway

 Word Count: 279 Mrs. Dalloway      I chose the scene when Pete and Clarissa are arguing about their future. Clarissa has chosen not to marry Peter, but instead marry Richard Dalloway. She feels safe with Richard, and he does not have the same extravagant expectations for Clarissa like Peter does. Peter wants her to do more with her life than stay at home and be a mother and wife, but that is not what she wants. This is a direct contrast from the other novels we have read. In these other novels, women want to marry for love and do more with their lives than stay at home. We explicitly see this in The Awakening  by Kate Chopin. In The Awakening , Edna yearns for a life more than what she has been given. We also see the older Mrs. Dalloway contemplate on this point. She wonders if she made the correct decisions when she was younger. This contemplation is very interesting, because she was given other options when she was young, and other young women of the time were not.      I think this
Read more

Silas Marner Part 2

Word Count: 280 Silas Marner  by George Eliot  "The vindication of the loved object is the best balm affection can find words for its wounds: - 'A man must have so much on his mind,' is the belief by which a wife often supports a cheerful face under rough answers and unfeeling words" (Eliot, 135).     This quotation expresses Nancy's thoughts when she soothes herself. It seems that many wives during this time live under the impression that their husbands must always be correct, and any problem that arises is the fault of the woman. While this might not have been true, it is the impression Eliot creates throughout this novel when depicting traditional marriage. The only woman who crosses her husband was Molly, and she dies while trying to expose her unconventional and secret marriage. This directly demonstrates the consequences a woman suffers once defying her husband.      Nancy experiences extreme guilt about her lack of siring a child for her husband. For both N
Read more

"Eve's Apology in Defense of Women"

 Word Count: 259 "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women" by Aemilia Lanyer "And then to lay the fault on Patience' back, / That we (poor women) must endure it all;" "If Eve did err, it was for knowledge' sake, / The fruit being fair persuaded him to fall:" (Lanyer)     These quotations from the second stanza of the poem depict Lanyer's feelings about the story of Adam and Eve. Many blame Eve for the fall of man, but Lanyer argues that she is not the one to condemn. The second quotation explains why Eve took to fruit: she wanted to have the knowledge which the serpent told her was vital, while Adam ate because the fruit was "fair."  The first quotation exemplifies the hardships women still must endure because so many misinterpret the tale.      Lanyer's reasoning in this poem aligns with the current feminist movement, which was probably very controversial at the time of her writing this. This begs the question: why did she write th
Read more