Maya Angelou Extended Metaphor

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Maya Angelou uses the extended metaphor to compare life to a road, because like a road, life is a path that's taken. However, also like a road, it's possible to change direction, to “step off that road, and cut… a new path.”(Angelou 1.)Annie Johnson was forced to change her direction when she was left with her two sons and lack of money, due to her husband leaving for Oklahoma to pursue religion. The purpose of the metaphor is to show the reader that life isn’t one straight line, and “if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting” (Angelou 2) then there’s always a possibility to change that path or road to something more desirable. The troubles that Annie faced, along with the decisions and plans that she