We’re especially fond of Angelou’s image of walking the ocean floor and never having to breathe. Can a country capable of such technological inventions not also heal itself of its social division?Ī poem about overcoming fear and not allowing it to master you, ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’ is the perfect poem to conclude this pick of Maya Angelou’s best poems: a powerful declaration of self-belief and the importance of facing one’s fears.Īngelou lists a number of things, from barking dogs to grotesque fairy tales in the Mother Goose tradition, but comes back to her mantra: ‘Life doesn’t frighten me at all’. Playing on the name of her home country, Angelou invites us to reflect on the divisive nature of the ‘United’ States of America – a country in which racial and socio-economic divisions loom large.Īngelou refers to some of the great ‘achievements’ of America, from the Telstar satellite to the atomic bomb. The references to food being gone and rent being due suggest that life is a constant struggle for the Black Americans depicted in the poem, which takes its title from a prominent African-American district in New York. Here’s another poem in which racial inequality is tied to freedom, although poverty is another salient theme of the poem. The speaker is such a woman, who nevertheless finds something to call her ‘own’ when she looks to the sun, the rain, the oceans, and the mountains: nature’s bounty. This poem is perhaps the best example of this theme in Angelou’s poetry. Another important strand to her work is work itself: a focus on the daily menial tasks which many wives and mothers have to carry out around the home as part of their domestic duties. Many of Maya Angelou’s best-known poems focus on the plight of women, and specifically Black women. Yet Angelou tells us that the girl in the poem is ‘blameless’, inviting us to read the poem as about ‘mothers’ and ‘daughters’ in a wider sense: it is about the generational shift between African-American women of Angelou’s mother’s age, and those of Angelou’s own generation. The subject of the poem is a girl who goes home to her mother’s arms, afraid and ‘creeping’ because she fears she is in trouble. You’ll be glad you did.This is a poem about returning home. Shameless request – If you enjoyed reading this post, fill out this formto receive my blog post updates by e-mail, AND/OR leave a comment below and share this with your family, friends and Social Media. – Thank you!:-)Īre you frustrated because you don’t have the courage to make important changes in your life? You’ll benefit from my FREE strategy session. Taking a line from one of her poems that in part captures the essence of who she is – “I’m a woman Phenomenally. She has published six autobiographies, five books of essays, and several books of poetry. Maya Angelou has 306 quotes on Goodreads. “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” ― Maya Angelou “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. ![]() “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” ― Maya Angelou “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” If you can’t change it, change your attitude. “The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.” ― Maya Angelou “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ![]() Experiences that helped her to blossom into the woman she is today.įor your inspiration 10 image quotes by Maya Angelou. A woman who had the audacity to publicly own her experiences. Her life is a reflection of a woman who loves herself unconditionally. She’s an inspiration for digging deep into your potential and living a successful life on your terms. Her words, her teachings, her life – encourage us to be bold, to stand for something, to be authentic, to be courageous, to speak our truth, to embrace our fears and go confidently in the direction of our dreams, and make a change. Maya Angelou Grande Dame takes life by the horns. In appreciation of her global contribution to helping others live purpose driven lives – I’m going to share with you 10 of her timeless, motivational and inspirational quotes. Maya Angelou award winning actress and poet celebrated her birthday on April 4, 2013.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |