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Maya Angelou's Descriptive Writing

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Descriptive writing is very effective, especially in this case because Maya Angelou is able to cause the reader to imagine an entirely new picture than what they would imagine with normal words. The way she is able to connect herself to different objects like an old biscuit makes the person reading feel exactly what she had experienced. It makes the reader understand alot better and leaves them craving for more. One example of imagery that is used in the essay is located on paragraph 1. It states,"... like an old biscuit, dry and inedible." This creates a feeling for the reader to feel, leaving you to feel Maya Angelou's pains and struggles at the time. Another example of figurative language is on paragraph 3. It states," Her skin is a rich
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Annotated Bibliography: Maya Angelou Angelou, Maya. I know why the caged bird sings. New York: random house, 1970. Print. Maya Angelou's book describes in great detail the events of her forming years and her emotions throughout.

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No one would 've ever thought that s/he were similar to a person that lives across the Pacific or atlantic, or even a person across the globe. Actually, s/he might be similar to the person across the globe. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman and “Human Family” by Maya Angelou both share a common them, even though they talk about two tremendously different topics. This theme is that even with high-scale differences, people can nevertheless recognize similarities with others. Maya Angelou shows the theme by showing that everyone has a diverse lifestyle, but the lifestyle is made up of common things.

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The imagery she uses to describe her experiences creates a story that allows the audience to better understand the author and connect with her on a deeper level; two rhetorical devices she achieves this with are personification and metaphors. She uses several poetic lines throughout her entire essay. Some are in English while some are in Spanish and others are mixed with both languages. These lines allow her to break up her essay in a unique way, causing her structure to vary. It gives Anzaldua a way to transition into her next idea and convey concepts without having to explain them making her readers contemplate the meaning of the poetic lines before continuing on in the essay.

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1385 Words | 6 Pages

Question 1: The three examples of figurative language that I am going to analyze are, rhetorical questions, personification, and similes . Rhetorical question: “Here or elsewhere, what did it matter? Die today, or tomorrow, or later.” (Wiesel 98) This example of a Rhetorical question really adds to the text by almost forcing the reader to think to themselves, and actually try to answer the question that is being asked. It involves the reader and therefore can make the story more appealing to them.

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635 Words | 3 Pages

She specifically uses metaphors to relate her life experiences in a way that helps better explain the meaning of what she is saying. For example, she describes herself as "...a black ocean…"("Still I Rise" 33) which is such a beautiful way of saying she is a worldwide role model. Secondly, Maya Angelou depicts being oppressed by describing it as"...shoot me with your words…" ("Still I Rise" 21) This assists readers in interpreting the words as bullets that send a pain so intense that it knocks you down.

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690 Words | 3 Pages

Dillard implements imagery all throughout her essay, which gives the reader a clear picture of the events occurring. For instance, she describes her husband “gesturing inside a circle of darkness” as a result of him gradually travelling farther away from her (Dillard). Ultimately, the use of imagery in this case represents the loneliness the narrator begins to feel. The author also utilizes metaphors to get her message across. Dillard compares “grammar and lexicon” to a “decorated sand bucket and a matching shovel” because without the other, they will not be able to fulfill their purpose (Dillard).

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101 Words | 1 Pages

In my opinion, empathy takes some understanding of the situation that someone is going through. If we cannot understand the tragedies people face then we won't be able to empathize with them. Instead, we pity them for having to experience such a horrible life. Now days we say we understand people and their feeling, but we can never fully understand unless we go through the exact same situation. Authors like Maya Angelou can help shed some light on a terrible situation, but in the long run unless we face the same situation we will never be able to understand their pain.

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970 Words | 4 Pages

“Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman.” (Online - White House). This memorial statement, by Barack Obama in 2014, encompasses how many felt towards Maya Angelou, one of the most influential writers and voices of her generation. Over the course of her lifetime, Maya Angelou was awarded over 50 honorary degrees and received the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Angelou’s personal admiration and self-love that is reflected in her poetic works, specifically, “Phenomenal Woman,” is credited to the overcoming of her traumatic childhood and her work in activism.

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276 Words | 2 Pages

Figurative language is used to convey the tones and moods of the story. To demonstrate, the poems, “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, “Teenagers” by Pat Mora, and “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe all use figurative language to convey the tones and moods of their stories. To begin, in the poem “Harlem” Langston Hughes uses similes with a gloomy tone to convey his feelings in the poem. After asking what happens to dreams deferred he explains “Does it dry up-- like a raisin in the sun?”

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1. “Africa” The poem starts off with a very calm description of Africa, here Maya Angelou is portraying the country as a beautiful woman. The mood then changes when she explains the dark past when young boys and girls were taken from their home and sold into slavery. In the powerful ending, Africa rises and takes a stand for herself. 2.

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628 Words | 3 Pages

The author uses personification which expresses the theme because it shows people saying mean things about the speaker, but they keep moving on. In the poem Angelou states, “You may shoot me with your words, / You may cut me with your eyes, / You may kill me with your hatefulness” (21-23). This literary device is used to show that the speaker will keep moving on no matter what people say about them and how it is relatable because sometimes you get that look from someone. Another device Maya Angelou uses is a simile because she shows that even though people are saying all this mean stuff the speaker is still happy and joyful. Maya Angelou states, “Like dust, I’ll rise” (4).

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427 Words | 2 Pages

This is developed through Maya Angelou’s use of tone and language choice. Angelou utilizes diction and connotation to develop the central idea in this section. These language uses grow her character throughout the story, specifically in a section when Maya visits Mexico with her father. “I was superbly intelligent... Of course I could drive.

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746 Words | 3 Pages

The Embodiment of Poetry "Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri"("Maya Angelou Biography" 1). " Maya and her brother, Bailey, moved to Stamp, Arkansas, to live with their grandmother after their parents divorced." "While living in Stamps, she faced racial discrimination that was the legally enforced way of life in the South, but she also absorbed the deep religious faith and old fashioned courtesy of traditional African American life." "Her brother, Bailey was unable to pronounce her name as a young child so he called her "My" as in "My sister."

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793 Words | 4 Pages

Who is Maya Angelou? Maya Angelou was primarily a very versatile and talented person. This woman of African American origin wrote and published seven autobiographies that were very popular and highly-evaluated in the US. However, she is well-known not only for being an author but also for being an actress, poet, dancer, and screenwriter. And of course we must not forget activism in the field of civil rights conducted by Maya.

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135 Words | 1 Pages

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. Maya Angelou This quote embodies the essence of my students. They are from diverse backgrounds, however, each possesses beauty and strength that I hope to nurture as their teacher. Over 99% of my students are African American or Hispanic, and over 95% receive free or reduced lunch. They also live in the poorest congressional district in the United States.

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