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Comparing Maya Angelou's And My High School Graduation

1285 Words6 Pages

Since the 1940’s, times have really changed but we can still draw many similarities as well as many differences between our experiences today and their experience then. For example, In the excerpt “Graduation”, from Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing, similarities and difference can be found between Angelou’s graduation and my high school graduation. Maya Angelou’s and my experience with graduation are similar regarding family involvement and nervousness. However, our experiences were very different in the ways others treated the graduating class and the feelings leading up to graduation and the feelings after graduation. Maya Angelou’s family was very involved in her graduation. Maya’s mom made the dress for Maya’s …show more content…

For the graduation program, all I had to do was say a pray however I was nervous about so much more. What if I tripped while walking up? What if I didn’t look good? What if I couldn’t talk clearly? Those are just a few of the concerns that I had about the program and that had made me nervous about the graduation program. Our experiences with feelings during graduation were similar; We were both nervous to graduate. We both knew that graduation was going to be great and an important stepping stone for us, but the nervousness of the tiny things easily take control. Those little things could include how we’ll look, how we’ll walk, or even how we’ll sit. Many tiny and insignificant factors can easily take over our thinking during this hectic time. Maya Angelou went to a small school. However, in these times, graduating eighth grade was a huge deal. Not many minorities in this time period were able to obtain an education and those were able to obtain an education, didn’t always graduate eighth grade. This meant that graduating eighth grade at this time was a very important achievement and because of this, many people looked up to her and her class. Her and her class were highly respected for their accomplishment as well (Angelou

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On April 4th of 1928 Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. She was given the name “Maya” by her brother, Bailey. Both Maya and Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas after her parents divorced. When Maya went to visit her mother at the age of eight she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend.

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In the excerpt “Mrs. Flowers,” Maya Angelou demonstrates one powerful one person can have a life changing effect on someone. Angelou expertly uses her experience from her childhood to target readers from many different backgrounds, simply to give them a sense of hope even when there is none. This excerpt was written in a way to not only give her readers hope and confidence, but also for her relatives and friends, to show that she didn’t and wouldn’t let one incident define the rest of her life. Ethos is defined as credibility from the author and from personal experience; Angelou proves just how credible she is.

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Maya Angelou philosophy and teachings are timeless. There is a lesson to be learned in her more than 30 published works and her lessons taught as a professor and lecturer. More important she lived what she preached. She had a strong belief in humanity as a whole, in the human spirit and in the African American community. She fought tirelessly to change extinguish racism, prejudice and discrimination during a time when she herself as a black woman experienced its effects.

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during this story it shows a young black lady that awaits with pride and anticipation her graduation day. once the day finally arrives, her dreams and expectations are shattered by the speech that Mr.Donleavy, a White, gave to the year of 1940. He was direct in causing the message of the graduate’s slim probabilities of getting a rigorous career that wasn't athletic . Maya Angelou declared that “It was brutal to be young and already trained to take a seat quietly and hear charges against my color with no likelihood of defense.” Donleavy gets the graduates to assume and have doubts.

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The Unforgettable Rosa Parks Icon, Oprah Winfrey, in her eulogy, Rosa Parks Eulogy, acknowledges Rosa Parks bravery and contribution to the African Americans and herself. Winfrey’s purpose is to describe the heroic attribution of Rosa Parks that will never be forgotten. She utilizes figurative language, an appreciative and admirable tone, and pathos to depict the impact Parks had on their lives.

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Angelou, later on, became a writer, dancer, and poet. She went on to prove that no matter what skin color you may be, you can still go on to be successful. Throughout life, you should never judge a person because of how they look on the outside. You never know, that person could go on to be beyond than what you believed.

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Growing up in the 1930s as an African American was not a walk in the park. Angelou had to

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After a pause of almost 25 years, I am returning to the college classroom and to say that there are mixed emotions would be an understatement. Sure, I’m excited to start but also a bit fearful if I’m being honest. I’ve worked for large and international companies during this time but getting back to college has always been a goal of mine. No time like the present I guess!

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The importance of having appreciation of our previous generations for what they have done for us and what they have left is highlighted in line 39, “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave”. Also, “I am the dream and the hope of the slave” (40) shows how Angelou

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During the 1900s, there were many famous authors who wrote about African Americans and Civil Rights. This was what was going on during this time period. Segregation and discrimination towards blacks was increasing. Two famous authors were Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Langston Hughes wrote the poem “I, Too, Sing America.”

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