Maya Angelou Essay - 1926 Words

Her life was never easy. From the time she was born, Maya Angelou was subjected to racism, rape, grief and dehumanization. She beared enough emotional stress in a time frame that most people dont experience in a lifetime. Yet she prevailed. She forced herself to become stronger. And in doing so, she produced writings, which in turn, helped others to become strong. Her experiences and the lessons learned gave her confidence to be a teacher, a preacher, and an inspiration to millions. Maya Angelou was courageous. Based on Angelou’s most prestigious autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, along with others, certainly reveals the occurring hardships and misfortunes of her life. In Maya Angelou’s first published†¦show more content†¦I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, prevails in moments where metaphors correspond perfectly to the emotions of Maya Angelou’s relationship with Annie Henderson, her grandmother, whom Angelou referred to as Momma Henderson. It is distinctly exemplified when three white girls perform a handstand pantyless in front of Momma Henderson revealing their power of white sexuality in front of a superior woman. Momma just hymns a song showing her granddaughter how to react to the ridicules of the â€Å"powhitetrash.† Steven Butterfeld of American Writers views Momma’s reaction as a victory in self control(American Writers 3). Angelou exhibits a similar spirit when describing her visit with Momma to a white dentist who reveals that he would rather put his hands in a dog’s mouth than a niggers(Contemporary Literary Criticism 12 12). The appalling parallel between the â€Å"dog† and the â€Å"nigger† narrates the account of dehumanization noted by African American writers. The most powerful emotional response in the first autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, is Angelou’s contrary speech after being raped by her mothers lover. On page four of American Writers the author describes the speech in the language used by Angelou describing the tragic episode: Then there was the pain. A breaking and entering when even the senses are torn apart. The act ofShow MoreRelatedMaya Angelou655 Words   |  3 PagesMa 2(1565443) Maya Angelou is known as the â€Å"most visible black female autobiographer/poet.† She was born, Marguerite Ann Johnson, on April fourth, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was three, and she and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Seeing all the racial discrimination in the American south strengthened her passion for poetry, music, dance and performance. Maya writes about the struggles people face, racism and freedom. At ageRead More`` Speak, By The Maya Angelou1137 Words   |  5 Pageswriter, the late Maya Angelou. This statement also aligns to a 1999 contemporary classic novel, Speak, where a young freshman, Melinda Sordino, faces isolation and depression to an event that occurred over the summer, one that only she knows about. In the novel, Melinda hangs up a poster of Maya Angelou in her make-shift janitor’s closet hangout. Laurie Halse Anderson uses Maya Angelou as a figure for Melinda to learn and ch ange by in the novel Speak. Melinda could learn from Angelou that she can standRead More Maya Angelou Essay1200 Words   |  5 Pages Maya Angelou is a phenomenal woman. She was born into a devastating decade, that suffered numerous tragedies. Not only had society shaped her as a woman, she has also shaped our society and influenced many lives. She is still living today, yet I believe her legend will never die. Furthermore I will share with you what motivated her and some of her gratifying experiences. How she was effected by society, and what she did about it. Also how the time period she was born into made her the extraordinaryRead MoreEssay on Maya Angelou612 Words   |  3 Pages Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928. Her real name is Marguerite Johnson, but she later changed it to Maya. She was born in St. Louis, shortly after her birth her family up and move to Arkansaw. Maya grew up there in the rural parts of Arkansaw, and later married to a South African Freedom Fighter. She lived in Cairo with him, there she began her career as editor of the Arab Observer. At the request of Dr. Martin Lutheran King Jr., she became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian LeadershipRead MoreEssay on Maya Angelou1185 Words   |  5 PagesDistress in Maya Angelous Life Marguerite Ann Johnson, commonly known as Maya Angelou, was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a famous African-American poet, novelist, and playwright and also worked during the civil rights: Angelou is a very remarkable Renaissance woman who hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature (www.mayaangelou.com). She is also an activist in civil-rights. Angelou went through many controversies during her childhood and adulthood; herRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s Angelou 2396 Words   |  10 Pagesparents had decided to put an end to their calamitous marriage and Father shipped us home to mother† (Angelou 7). 1. This excerpt comes from the beginning of chapter one. The narrator, who is also the main character Maya Angelou, informs her reader of her family status. 2. The author informs us that she is currently living with her Father’s mother due to the separation of their parents. 3. Maya Angelou includes this passage to show that there is no perfect marriage and provide knowledge as to how hardRead More Maya Angelou Essay1043 Words   |  5 PagesMaya Angelou      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By consistently weaving the theme of motherhood into her literature, Maya Angelou creates both personal narratives and poems that the reader can relate to. Her exploration of this universal theme lends itself to a very large and diverse audience.   Throughout Angelous works, she allows her followers to witness her metamorphosis through different aspects of motherhood.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Well-worked themes are always present in Angelous works-   self-Read MoreMaya Angelou Essay883 Words   |  4 PagesMaya Angelou was an inspiring activist, poet, and woman. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. Throughout her lifetime she explored her career options as an actress, dancer, singer, writer, and editor among many other careers. Angelou had a tough childhood. Her parents divorced when she was very young and she was sent to live with her grandmother in Arkansas along with her brother Bailey. As an African American, Angelou experienced discrimination and racial prejudices. AngelouRead MoreEssay On Maya Angelou1879 Words   |  8 PagesMaya Angelou is one of the most important American Authors who ever lived. She was an African-American woman who spoke her mind and when someone told her she couldn’t do something, it made her want to do it even more so that she could prove them wrong (Shapiro). Her life was incredi bly difficult, but it made her who she was and influenced her writing and poetry immensely. As Gary Younge once said, â€Å"To know her life story is to simultaneously wonder what on earth you have been doing with yourRead MoreMaya Angelou: the Lyrical Genius979 Words   |  4 Pages Maya Angelou: the Lyrical Genius When it comes to the struggles of a black woman, Maya Angelou is one of the best writers to interpret these struggles and to have the ability to put them into books and poems. The way Maya Angelou writes just makes you feel as if you were with here through all of the pain and sorrow. Not a lot of authors have the ability to do such a thing. Maya Angelou has the ability to write all of these amazing books and

The Legal Age Of Alcohol Consumption - 1816 Words

A lot of people have different opinions on the legal age of alcohol consumption. Some countries have the age lowered to eighteen and, the United States has it set at twenty-one. In Canada, it is typically up to the parents if the children drink and a lot of the kids are raised drinking beer with meals; therefore, it is pretty laid back in Canada regarding alcohol consumption. The drinking age being lowered could immensely change things around America; students would be at lower risk of alcohol-related deaths, there would not be chances of identity theft from ordering things such as ID’s from foreign countries, college campuses would have a lot lower arrest rates and it gives students and people eighteen years of age a sense of†¦show more content†¦As many people know or have heard of someone who has been a victim of drunk driving it happens quite often. Students and young adults will go out to bars with friends and will try to drive home after consuming way too many d rinks. Only because of the risk of the parents finding out and being caught. In the long run, it makes the situation a lot worse. If it was legal for someone of eighteen years of age to drink there would be no reason to hide it from the parents anymore and, could even use them for a ride home instead of hiding it. It gives the young adults a relief to not have to hide it anymore and feel as if there is nobody that can help besides the friends that are drunk as well. The students would respect the age a lot more because it is fitting to the lifestyle some live and binge drinking would be childish. As said by a parent in the article â€Å"Lowering the Drinking Age†, â€Å"I’d rather see my kids sipping beer out of a red Solo cup at a well-patrolled fraternity party than drinking shots and popping a Vicodin in someone’s basement off campus† (Cary). Almost all eighteen year olds have friends that are in college and twenty-one already and can drink and get in to clubs that an eighteen-year-old could not get into. This makes the young adults around want to fit in and drink as well. Not many eighteen year olds are close friends with sixteen year olds and it would notShow MoreRelatedShould the legal age for the consumption of alcohol be increased to 21?863 Words   |  4 PagesIncreasing the legal age for the consumption of alcohol to twenty-one is a topic that has recently sparked much debate, with many people endorsing the idea of increasing the age of alcohol consumption. This is because it is thought that implementing such a law may curb youth binge drinking and alcohol related road accidents (Drug Free Australia: 2008). However there are many reasons as to why the legal age for alcohol consumption should not be increased. These include the fact that young people willRead MoreWhy The Drinking Age During The U.s. Should Be Lowered1300 Words   |  6 PagesCourse/class Date Why the drinking age in the U.S. should be lowered to 18 Getting to 18 years of age is an important milestone for a US resident because it is the legal age for independence, allowing the individual to make his or her decisions regarding tobacco smoking, driving and even joining the armed forces while being treated as an adult by the justice system. While this statement is essentially accurate, it is untrue concerning the ability to purchase and drink alcohol. This is because the US lawRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Abolished1634 Words   |  7 Pagesand Liquor: A Balancing Act Laws surrounding alcohol use and consumption in the United States all stem from one major root: the Prohibition Era of the 1920s. The Prohibition Era lasted almost thirteen years and banned the production, the distribution, and the sale of alcohol. In 1933, the Prohibition Act was repealed and states designated their own legal drinking age. In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age act was passed and raised the drinking age in the United States to twenty-one. This lawRead MoreLowering The Drinking Age From 21 Essay1214 Words   |  5 Pagessubjecting themselves to excessive amounts of alcohol at illegal ages, and the consequences are evident all around us. Every year over 5,000 kids under the age of 21 die from alcohol abuse, 1 in 5 10th graders will resort to binge drinking, and alcohol continues to damage developing teen brains (Let’s Stop Teen Drinking Tragedies). While they may not be seen in night clubs in bars, people between the ages of 18 and 21 are subjecting themsel ves to unsafe usage of alcohol in private or at high school partiesRead MoreChanging the Minimun Legal Drinking Age in the United States1745 Words   |  7 PagesChanging the Minimum Legal Drinking Age in the United States Over the past twenty years the minimum legal drinking age has been twenty-one in all US states, but that has not stopped citizens of the United Sates from attempting to lower the age. Following the end of prohibition in the United Sates during the Great Depression, all states agreed on a set of twenty-one to be the legal drinking age. For almost forty years there was no change in the drinking age until a decrease in the age for voting occurredRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1500 Words   |  6 PagesThe legal drinking age in the United States was ruled to be 21 in 1984, setting the country apart from almost all other western nations. These past 30 years have contained as much problems regarding the consumption of alcohol as one of the country’s biggest failures ever, the 18th amendment, otherwise known as prohibition. Also, the legal drinking age in the United States can be considered violation of states liberties, as the national government, albeit with good intentions, has intervened and onlyRead MoreEconomics Intervention and Externalities Essay example939 Words   |  4 PagesProduction, Consumption, and venture decisions of households, firms and individuals frequently affect others not involved in the actions. At times these indirect effects are minuscule. But when they are large they can become an issue—these are called externalities. Externalities are one of the major reasons governments intervene in the economic sphere. A positive externality is a benefit acquired by a third party due to an economic transaction. Whereas, a negative externality is a cost that isRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Act1179 Words   |  5 PagesRestrictions of the Legal Drinking Age A highly controversial topic that continues to rise is the debate of the legal drinking age and whether it should lower from twenty-one, or remain. On July 17, 1984, Ronald Reagan was in office when the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed, prohibiting anyone under the age of twenty-one from publicly possessing and purchasing alcohol. After the Act was passed in 1984, the states that failed to abide by Ronald Reagan’s National Minimum Drinking Age Act were withheldRead MoreWhy The Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1582 Words   |  7 PagesWhy the Legal Drinking Age should Be Lowered Ever since its creation in ancient times, alcohol has been used for many reasons and purposes. Since then, controversies have risen on the topic of alcohol consumption and production. Among these controversies is that of the legal drinking age. While that age is 21 years, the legal age for smoking and for holding political posts is 18 years, and the legal age for consent for sex is 16 years – two of which are activities that are equally, if not more,Read MoreLegalizing the Drinking Age to 181624 Words   |  7 PagesLegalizing the Drinking Age to 18 When people turn to the age of eighteen, they are finally considered an adult. They can join the army, have the right to vote, buy cigarettes or tobacco products, get a tattoo and even die for our country, but they aren’t allowed to buy alcohol? A person can be responsible enough to live on his or her own, make money, pay bills, and yet they are not old enough to purchase or consume any type of alcohol. Underage drinking has been a major controversial issue for

President Franklin Roosevelt’s Foreign Policies Free Essays

Foreign policies, although sometimes similar, varies from administration to administration. The policy makers, who are normally the closest aids or sometimes-even confidants, tend to have tremendous influences on these guiding principles. The foreign policies of America have help shaped the world as it is today, whether by providing aids to countries that have no structural governments or by defending American interest abroad. We will write a custom essay sample on President Franklin Roosevelt’s Foreign Policies or any similar topic only for you Order Now An example of these policies is president Franklin Roosevelt’s quarantine speech, given on 5th October 1937. Adolf Hitler and the fascist Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini are irrefutably threatening the world’s peace. In an effort to protect the peace, President Roosevelt’s quarantine speech seems to be a devised policy that would counter such a threat. A major setback however is that the neutrality acts has been passed by congress, curtailing America’s capability of backing and or supporting nations with whom we empathize. Sources in the White House indicate that the president may find other ways of assisting friendly countries. In his speech, the president has articulated concerns about the agonies guiltless people face. Women and children are mostly susceptible to these bombings. Without the declaration of war, they are the primary casualties of war. Although collateral damage is inevitable, the suggestion by the president is that prevention can be achieved by mainly placing political and economic pressures on the aggressors. He said, â€Å"The one country that wants to be a power monger jeopardizes the peace of the other nations. However, the country, which respects the freedom of other nations, which exercises patience with consideration of the other countries, earns the longstanding mutual respect and the approval of others. † He concluded by stating that just as when a pandemic breaks out, the population approves the quarantine of the patients; the quarantine of discrimination and ruthlessness were going to be headstrong, it is necessary for the United States to stay away from war. In his words, the president alleged, â€Å"America hates war, American hopes for peace. Therefore America actively engages in the search for peace. † This speech coupled with the aggressiveness of Germany and her allies has aroused a surprisingly mixed reaction within the country, especially amongst the isolationists. Then again, it appears that the president does not have any particular programs or plans in mind to combat the rising issue at hand. In an effort to pressure the United States and reiterate the Open Door policy in China, a delegation was sent to a meeting with the 1922 signatories of the Nine-Power Treaty in Brussels. Meanwhile, the Japanese just seized the Chinese city of Shanghai and continue to penetrate deep into the country at the cost of 100,000 lives. As it stands, it is very likely that America will be going to war due to the Japanese bombings of the U. S. gunboat Panay on the Yangtze River in China while sailors were helping the evacuation of Americans from the embassy in Nanking. Again, America has escaped the tides of war as the Japanese conformed to American demands of apology and reparations. In the meantime, the imminence of war in Europe has driven the Roosevelt administration into seeking assistance for the British and French and still isolationists refute the idea of war. An example is William Borah, Senator of Idaho, who obstinately insists that his sources are more reliable than that of State Department, and according to them, war is unlikely. Despite all the efforts, the outbreak of war in Europe and the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor has led the United States to war with the belligerents. How to cite President Franklin Roosevelt’s Foreign Policies, Essay examples

Poetry Speech Essay Example For Students

Poetry Speech Essay Gilmore especially, she was a truly amazing woman ND is one of the great figures of Australian social history and literature. I have already mentioned that I have a great love for both of these poems, and you are probably wondering what is so special about them? Time for me to help you see why they are so amazing. Both of these poems are telling the audience a story of personal experience. However, the poets use different poetic structures to convey their message. Fourteen Poor Men is written as a lyrical, where as Migrants Is written in ballad form. Let me briefly shed some light onto each of the poets, and their backgrounds, which eight help you all to have more of an understanding into some of the impacts on their writing. So first of all, lets start with Mary Gilmore. I could talk about this woman for days, because she did so many amazing things In her life. I guess that the quickest way that I can get across to you just how much she did, is by telling you about her column in the Australian Worker, which she remained editor of the womens page from 1908 right up until 1931. Through her column, Gilmore campaigned for many different social and economic reforms, such as the womens tot, child endowment, the relief of the poor, old age and Invalid pensions and the just treatment of Aborigines. Now moving onto to Margaret Scott. The basic background behind Scott, Is that she migrated over to live In Tasmania, from Bristol in the UK. Now that you have an extremely brief idea of each of the cultural aspect behind each author, I will now move onto the part that you are all here for. The poems. Firstly, I am going to deconstruct the more gritty of the two, Migrants. The title is a bit of a spoiler, and basically describes what the poem is obviously about, migration from the UK, to Australia. A poetic technique that is repeatedly used in this poem, is personification. It is used quite a bit in the first stanza. The liners arid gaiety, thirsting For roots and cover, hungry for the solid fare. The reason that Scott does this is to try and convey to the audience that on her journey over from the I-J, she is seeming to notice the way that everything around her Is feeling or acting, yet in the first stanza, she doesnt really say how she is feeling much at all. She lets the audience know of her personal fear In stanza 2, where less personification Is used. ND more of her own emotions come through. 1 OFF in Fourteen Poor Men is allusion. The reason for this, is because you, the audience, are required to have a basic knowledge of Australian history, to be able to deconstruct, and make sense of this poem. Once you pick up that the main technique used in this poem is allusion, you can look at the poem in a different light altogether. If you read into the poem deep enough, you could argue that the reason Gilmore used this technique so much (Need a better word choice for so much), is because she wants the reader to understand that you must have some sort of knowledge of our own countries historical events and what has coupled us into the country and society that we are today, to be able to even remotely understand someone elses culture. Once again, thank you all so much for taking time out of your Sunday afternoon to come and learn more about fine Australian poetry. I hope that I have given you an insight into the poems that I discussed today, in regards to Multicultural Australia, and how is has progressed. I hope that I have been able to confirm your love for Australian poetry, and made you even more passionate. Have a great afternoon everyone, and feel free to ask me questions after the meeting.