A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Graduation' By Maya Angelou
Reaching To Nowhere Eric Hoofer once said “Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy - the bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation.” Many times in life we end disappointed to the point we see no hope in tomorrow and often view ourselves as failures. Disappointments are tools that God made for us to lead us to our path and make us who we are today. “Graduation” by “ Maya Angelou” teaches us a story of life and how it can be disappointing at times, Angelou uses a diploma as a sign of victory and success but her feeling does not last that long. Maya used in her article many writing strategies to make it clear and effective to her readers, such as Pathos and details which made her article strong. Angelou uses Logos in the beginning of her article, she never states that she is graduating 8th grade. She does that to make sure people won’t drop her text, most cases people do not want to hear a story of an 8th grader who is about to graduate, many of us will ask ourselves what have an 8th grader done so far in her life? Angelou’s essay is about fighting race and destroying boundaries in her community. She also starts her essay
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with a different story, she is sort of showing us to the bigger image of her life. Angelou also describes her excitement for graduation, to her to her it was like a wedding day for a girl who has been dying to put on her white dress. “Amazingly the great day finally dawned and I was out of bed before I knew it”(72). Angelou is very excited to the point where she is just in a dream. “ I gave myself up to the gentle warmth and thanked God that no matter what evil I had done in my life he had allowed me to live to see to live to see this day”(73). Details are very important. Angelou used plenty of details in her article, which helps the readers have a better understanding and also makes them aware of all of the events that occurred. All the details that Angelou uses makes her article strong, from the moment she describes her dress and her excitement to the moment where she feels disappointed at the white men’s speech. “My dress fitted perfectly and everyone said that I looked like a sun beam in it. On the hill, going toward the school….”(73). Angelou’s little details about how she looked in her dress and even how they walked to her school gives a sense of what it feels like on a day like that and how she feels about every single thing. Angelou uses more details about her graduation experience. “Hair brushed, legs oiled, new dresses pressed pleats, fresh pocket handkerchiefs and little hand bags, all homesewn”(74). Angelou goes on about describing the big day and how people looked and the way that they dressed which gives an impression about how that graduation day mean to everyone and herself. Angelou uses pathos to get the readers emotions.
The white men’s speech was very hard for Angelou to digest. “ The men’s dead words fell like bricks around the auditorium and too many settled in my belly”(76). The white man’s words were very hard and disappointing to Angelou, she felt that she was in the sky and all of sudden she fell on the ground, her excitement is ruined and she feels all she accomplished and her hard work went in vain. She also describes how that speech changed her life. “ My name had lost its ring of familiarity and I had to be nudged to go and receive my diploma”(77). How can someone forget their name unless they been so dramatized and she defineltly used pathos and makes her reader get that certain feeling of I am not who I was and my life is the same, also a sense of
disappointment. Graduation by Maya Angelou was great article that shows how things in life can seem very difficult and disappointing but at the end those who have the strong courage will pick up and make their way despite of any complexes. Angelou uses the diploma as an element of success an element that will change her life forever. Angelou used a lot strategies that made her essay very effective and worth reading, her use of pathos and details helps her readers gain a better view of what was happening and all the let details she provided us made her readers feel that they were with her at her graduation cermny, without these details the readers wouldn’t be able to feel what she was going through and her disappointment at the end because of the white man’s speech. Writing strategies help the reader to get a better understanding and also make the writers essay effective and clear. Just open your eyes and see the world
with a different story, she is sort of showing us to the bigger image of her life. Angelou also describes her excitement for graduation, to her to her it was like a wedding day for a girl who has been dying to put on her white dress. “Amazingly the great day finally dawned and I was out of bed before I knew it”(72). Angelou is very excited to the point where she is just in a dream. “ I gave myself up to the gentle warmth and thanked God that no matter what evil I had done in my life he had allowed me to live to see to live to see this day”(73). Details are very important. Angelou used plenty of details in her article, which helps the readers have a better understanding and also makes them aware of all of the events that occurred. All the details that Angelou uses makes her article strong, from the moment she describes her dress and her excitement to the moment where she feels disappointed at the white men’s speech. “My dress fitted perfectly and everyone said that I looked like a sun beam in it. On the hill, going toward the school….”(73). Angelou’s little details about how she looked in her dress and even how they walked to her school gives a sense of what it feels like on a day like that and how she feels about every single thing. Angelou uses more details about her graduation experience. “Hair brushed, legs oiled, new dresses pressed pleats, fresh pocket handkerchiefs and little hand bags, all homesewn”(74). Angelou goes on about describing the big day and how people looked and the way that they dressed which gives an impression about how that graduation day mean to everyone and herself. Angelou uses pathos to get the readers emotions.
The white men’s speech was very hard for Angelou to digest. “ The men’s dead words fell like bricks around the auditorium and too many settled in my belly”(76). The white man’s words were very hard and disappointing to Angelou, she felt that she was in the sky and all of sudden she fell on the ground, her excitement is ruined and she feels all she accomplished and her hard work went in vain. She also describes how that speech changed her life. “ My name had lost its ring of familiarity and I had to be nudged to go and receive my diploma”(77). How can someone forget their name unless they been so dramatized and she defineltly used pathos and makes her reader get that certain feeling of I am not who I was and my life is the same, also a sense of
disappointment. Graduation by Maya Angelou was great article that shows how things in life can seem very difficult and disappointing but at the end those who have the strong courage will pick up and make their way despite of any complexes. Angelou uses the diploma as an element of success an element that will change her life forever. Angelou used a lot strategies that made her essay very effective and worth reading, her use of pathos and details helps her readers gain a better view of what was happening and all the let details she provided us made her readers feel that they were with her at her graduation cermny, without these details the readers wouldn’t be able to feel what she was going through and her disappointment at the end because of the white man’s speech. Writing strategies help the reader to get a better understanding and also make the writers essay effective and clear. Just open your eyes and see the world