Maya Angelou's Poem 'Old Folks Laugh'

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Old Folks Laugh Poetry Explication Laughing through the pain is a phrase that is pretty common. A lot of times in life, it is easier to laugh, pretending to be happy than to mope around and be depressed. Growing older however, means these fake laughs become more genuine and easier than before. In the poem “Old Folks Laugh” by Maya Angelou, she shows how and why old folks laugh. Angelou is a famous author, activist, and poet from 1928-2014. In “Old Folks Laugh” she uses multiple poetic devices such as similes, metaphors, imagery and juxtapositions to enhance the poem. A common and clever way for poets to make things easier for the reader to understand is by using similes or metaphors. The first stanza of this poem talks about how older people laughed when they were younger compared to how they laugh now. Lines 1-6 say, They have spent their content of simpering, holding their lips this and that way, winding the lines between their brows. What Maya Angelou is …show more content…

I think Angelou does this to paint an image in our mind using visual imagery. She probably also wanted to emphasise that yes, they are old, but it doesn’t keep them from enjoying life and being happy. The part about knowing the best and worst of remembering is probably trying to get the point across that when you get older, you aren’t going to remember “normal” or unimportant things. You’re going to remember the best and worst things that have happened to you. The last two lines, when it talks about their laps being filled with memories, is supposed to symbol grandkids sitting in their laps. The last stanza of this poem is the most heart-warming in my opinion because even though it talks about death, it is in a very comforting way. Angelou writes in lines 20-23, When old folks laugh, they consider the promise of dear painless death, and generously forgive life for happening to

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