Intro:“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.” Susan Polis Schutz. Power over one’s life is something everyone deserves to have, but what happens if you don’t? In the two stories “We wear the mask” Paul Laurence Dunbar and “Still I rise” by Maya Angelou.In “we wear the mask” this poem was written right after the Civil War life was somewhat better than being a slave yet but african americans did not share the same privileges.. In the poem “still I rise” by Maya Angelou
He explains the severity of their pain and sorrow. And how no one would care even if they’re circumstances are terrible. We get a sense that the mask aren’t doing a very good job at covering up their feelings. We get a sense of that the masks aren’t doing a very good job of covering up their feelings. “This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,”Those hearts are not just torn but also bleeding which means they haven’t really done anything to patch up the wound, which means they are enduring treatment in order to avoid an even worse consequence.”Why should the world be overwise”. He is led to the conclusion that the world is too ignorant to accept the truth of the situation”.Nay, let them only see us, while
She than rises above the hatred, letting the racism make her a stronger human being. In “Still I rise” explores the sarcastic, defiant, anger, and self assured affirmations to feel entitled and feel more in control of her life. She tries to challenge the thinking of the oppressors and making her feel more powerful. She declares that nothing can suppress her, and knows the way the people of America have painted her race as “bitter twisted lies but still like dust I'll rise”.Bitter” conotes difficult or distasteful for something to accept. Twisted conotes unfairness in a circumstance. Dirt conotes worthlessness or information that embarasses or accused of moral corruption.”You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt, but still like dust I rise” To explain, she felt as if she tries to feel less powerless by taking responsibility of her situation stating no matter what you do to me I will always rise. Her self confidence and sarcasm, made it seem like she might as well have oil pumps in her back ground. “Cause I laugh like I’ve oil wells pumping in my room” Oil conotes valuableness and luxury , she is so what you say to her do not affect her because she already has whatever she wants.Maya Angelou using sarcasm, and challenges her oppressors saying to them no matter how much you try to undermine her rights, she
The poem, "We Wear the Mask”, by Paul Laurence Dunbar is about separating Blacks people from the masks they wear. When Blacks wear their masks they are not simply hiding from their oppressor they are also hiding from themselves. This type of deceit cannot be repaid with material things. This debt can only be repaid through repentance and self-realization. The second stanza of “We Wear the Mask” tells Blacks whites should not know about their troubles. It would only give them leverage over Blacks. Black peoples’ pain and insecurities ought to be kept amongst themselves. There is no need for anyone outside the black race to know what lies beneath their masks. The third stanza turns to a divine being. Blacks look to god because he made them and is the only one that can understand them. They must wear their mask proudly. The world should stay in the dark about who they are. This poem is about Blacks knowing their place and staying in it. This is the only way they could be safe.
Often times in today's society, we stumble upon instances of racism and oppression. About 60 years ago, innocent civilians were poorly treated and ridiculed on a day to day basis during the time of segregation. The courage and strength of those men and women was indescribable. So now we ask ourselves, what was it like? In Maya Angelou's “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” Maya effectively uses multiple writing strategies to bring awareness to the prominently apparent issues of racism and oppression that still exist in our society using imagery, pathos, and strong diction to craft her overall message.
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. “We Wear the Mask.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. Print
For fear of judgment based on appearance, any human being might cover up his sorrows as to not display any signs of weakness. Throughout Dunbar’s poem, the characters reflect upon their perception of the world and ironically accept the world the way it is. Revealing the true nature of the world, Dunbar states, “Why should the world be over-wise, /In counting all our tears and sighs?” (Dunbar 6). The poet insists that everyone need to be more comfortable and open to new ideas while embracing each others uniquenesses defined by strengths and weaknesses. The world was never “over-wise” because people dismiss the idea of helping others in fear of ruining their own reputation. Because of the utter nature of society, citizens have no other option but to wear a mask of apathy and cover up their insecurities. The narrator feels the need to conceal their feelings by “wear[ing] the mask that grins and lies” (Dunbar 1). They use “lies” to cover themselves, but at the same time question why no one seems to care. This contradiction complicates the battle between the world and the individual. Nevertheless, by changing their identities, they spread the idea of disguise, making everyone blind to the truth of human
In a world of hate, corruption, and angst, hope for achievement seems improbable. Literary works depict incredulities like slavery and discrimination from the birth of our nation, but, silver linings exist in forms of inspiring activists and confident presidents. Barack Obama addresses not only our nation, but the entire world in his famous speech ¨A More Perfect Union¨. He highlights the promise of modern democracy, while identifying underlying issues that affected his own life. Similarly, Maya Angelou reminisces about her childhood to reveal the horror of discrimination, while discerning the significance of the American Dream. Despite the contrasts in their childhoods and family settings, Obama and Angelou share similar feelings that society
Angelou, Maya. "Still I Rise." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Maya Angelou lived through a time where she was discriminated against for not only her race but also her gender. In her poem “Still I Rise” Angelou sarcastically talks about how no matter what is thrown at her she will rise above it and she will do it with resilience and confidence. Her poem discusses racism and sexism and gives minorities and women a sense of hope to overcome and endure both of those things. Angelou’s self-assurance in the poem makes you believe that you too can overcome whatever obstacle. Although this poem was intended for blacks, and women, and specifically black women, the poem helps build up strong and courageous people no matter what race or gender you are. Maya Angelou in “Still I Rise” uses both pathos and ethos to
Throughout life graduation, or the advancement to the next distinct level of growth, is sometimes acknowledged with the pomp and circumstance of the grand commencement ceremony, but many times the graduation is as whisper soft and natural as taking a breath. In the moving autobiographical essay, "The Graduation," Maya Angelou effectively applies three rhetorical strategies - an expressive voice, illustrative comparison and contrast, and flowing sentences bursting with vivid simile and delightful imagery - to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination.
Rising Up in Still I Rise by Maya Angelou ? Still I Rise? by Maya Angelou is directed towards blacks on how to be proud of their ancestry, themselves, and their overall appearance. The poem is a special and motivating poem that African-Americans (and other races for that matter) should read and take to heart. According to African-Americans, Maya Angelou states that no matter what white Americans (slave owners) say or do to African-Americans (slaves) they can still rise up to make a better life for themselves and their race as a whole.
Maya Angelou describes the situation, feelings and descriptions of a person (probably herself) who does not need people to try and lift her up. Maya shows us within the poem that all those oppressed in general are strong. Within the poem we are shown some of the feelings and thoughts people have displayed against her, but in reality she won’t let them get her down. Maya’s moral opulence allows her to rise above where her ancestors fell to slavery; carrying herself as a strong woman. Her ancestors dream was to have a life in society without the fear of what might happen to them (slavery). The author herself is portrayed in the...
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” is a lyric poem in which the point of attraction, the mask, represents the oppression and sadness held by African Americans in the late 19th century, around the time of slavery. As the poem progresses, Dunbar reveals the façade of the mask, portrayed in the third stanza where the speaker states, “But let the dream be otherwise” (13). The unreal character of the mask has played a significant role in the lives of African Americans, who pretend to put on a smile when they feel sad internally. This occasion, according to Dunbar, is the “debt we pay to human guile," meaning that their sadness is related to them deceiving others. Unlike his other poems, with its prevalent use of black dialect, Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” acts as “an apologia (or justification) for the minstrel quality of some of his dialect poems” (Desmet, Hart, and Miller 466).
In the time of the Great Depression, many people were in moments of suffering and hardships. However, African American were facing moments of prejudice and segregation, that was sonly based on the color of their skin. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper lee and the poem “We wear the mask” by Paul Lawrence Dumber, gave incite to those moments and how African Americans changed themselves to fit in to the white people society.
“We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson are two poems that depict how many people hide their feelings from others. The two poems are similar in theme, but are told from different points of view and differ in plot.
Throughout history, there has been racial segregation prevalent in American culture. Barriers between African Americans and Anglos have existed for several centuries with no end in sight. During an era of oppression, the lives of African American's was made distinctive by prejudice and restricted opportunities. This was a time of recognized African American inferiority; which involuntarily forced them to endure many partialities and tyranny. African Americans were forced to be obsequious and acquiescent due to these customs that were profoundly entrenched in a discriminatory nation. The only way for African Americans to gain honer and respect was for them to stand up for their rights and let there voice be heard. Maya Angelou encouraged those of her ethnicity to do this in her poem Caged Bird.
Thesis: Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” reveals a disturbing truth about freedom and oppression. Despite being constantly told by society that they are of little value, oppressed people are able to overcome hardships in life in order to strengthen