Maya+Angelou+3

// If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. // //-Maya Angelou //




 * __The Lesson__

I keep dying again. Veins collapse, opening like the Small fists of sleeping Children. Memory of old tombs, Rotting flesh and worms do Not convince me against The challenge. The years And cold defeat live deep in Lines along my face. They dull my eyes, yet I keep on dying, Because I love to live. - Maya Angelou || __Refusal__

In what other lives or lands Have I know your lips Your hands. Your laughter brave Irreverent. Those sweet excesses that I do adore. What surety is there That we will meet again, On other worlds some Future time undated. I defy my body's haste. Without the promise Of one more sweet encounter I will not deign to die. - Maya Angelou || __Recovery__

A last love, proper in conclusion, should snip the wings forbidding further flight. But I, now, reft of that confusion, am lifted up and speeding toward the light. - Maya Angelou ||
 * __Analysis__

My reaction to this poem was it was a bit hard to understand at first, but as I read it over and over again, I began to get the general idea of the poem. The poem is teaching a lesson that even when obstacles come in your way in life, you should still live your life. I do like this poem because it is teaching you to live life even when things try to get in your way.

The poetic device used here is symbolism because the veins collapsing and the memories of the old tombs, etc, are symbolizing the obstacles that one may have to overcome in their life so they can keep on living their life.

Since this peom is a free verse poem, it doesn't have a rhyme scheme.

The theme of this poem is to just keep living your life even when life throws obstacles in the way of you living your life. || __Analysis__

My reaction to this poem was I thought it was kind of sad because it is about someone who has lost lover and this person is saying how she loved these features about her lover. She also was how she refuses to believe that she won't see her lover again and she doesn't mind dying because she knows she will be reunited with him.

The poetic device used here is imagery because she does describe the things that she loved about her lover and she talks about some of the traits that she loved about him

This poem is also a free verse poem which means that there is no rhyme scheme.

The theme of this is to hold on to your loved ones who have passed on and hold on to your memories of them because you will be reunited with them again. || __Analysis__

My reaction to this poem was I felt that this poem is impowering because it is talking about someone who has just gotten out of a relationship and at first it was hard to move on but then they start to recover slowly until they had become completely over that person. It is impowering because it gives people, who have just gotten over a relationship, hope to know that one day they will get over that person ad recover completely.

The poetic device used here is symbolism. Symbolism was in this poem because the snipped wings were symbolizing the depression you have when you first get out of the relationship with your love and the light is symbolizing the sign of getting over that relationship.

The Rhyme scheme is: A B C D E A F D

The theme of this poem is that things will get better when given the time to have a chance to heal. ||

__ **Biography** __
 * Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri as Marguerite Johnson
 * In formative years, she lived in small, complete segregated towns when she wanted to become the 1st black street car conductor
 * In 1950s, she was a dancer with Pearl Primus in New York
 * Later she became a singer, but only in nightclubs
 * In the 1960s, she joined the Harlem Writers Guild and became involved in black activism
 * She spent several years in Ghana as editor of "The African Review" newspaper
 * In 1970, she became a national celebrity with the publication of, __I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.__ It was the 1st volume of her autobiography.
 * In From 1971- 1983, she wrote many famous poems.
 * In 1977, She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her portrayal og Nyo Boto in television adaption of the best selling novel, "Roots."

__Bibliography__ "Maya Angelou". Afro Poets, Net. 5 Macrh 2010 ,.

"Maya Angelou." 2010. Biography.com. 1 Mar 2010, [].

"All Quotes by Maya Angelou". 3 March 2010 [].