Champion Of The World By Maya Angelou Analysis Essay
Monica De Luca
English 417
Mr. Bakos
The Triumphant Race
Maya Angelou’s “Chapter 19 of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” describes a small Southern town who’s gathered in the local store to listen to a championship boxing match on the radio between an African American, Joe Louis, and a Caucasian, Carnera. Louis almost loses the fight, but in the end defeats his contender. He is not only triumphant by winning the title of champion of the world, but through his win, his race is also victorious. It appears as that Angelou makes reference to the fact that her race can be beaten, but will never be broken down. Another theme explored is that of how major events unite people through a common desire or belief. Angelou uses tone to enhance
the meaning of her message. It appears as though the author uses a slow paced tone at the beginning which creates a sense of comfort and ease in the reader. When the fight begins, the author creates a sense of hope, and then completely removes it when Joe Louis shows signs of losing. The tone switches from hopeful and confident to utter despair. The author demonstrates their desperation through the single line “If Joe lost we were back in slavery and beyond help” (135). The tone and diction immerses the reader into a mood of great sadness. After this break-down of the spirit, the author lifts the reader out of depression into great victory. Angelou intentionally sets a mood of despair to contrast the mood of rejoicement as to make it that much more powerful. The theme and tone are relative because from despair blooms a greater sense of triumph. The same applies to the African American race. They were dejected, but they in the end were victorious. Imagery is prevalent throughout the chapter. The strongest image is that of the contrast of black and white. The first is “a black sky streaked with lightning” (133) and the second is “white lightning in their soft-drink bottles” (136). The imagery depicted is that of streaks of white within a greater amount of black. This links to the theme that the white (representing the white race) might try to disturb the black (African American race) but it is the black which remains predominant (victorious) in the end. The greatest symbolism though is that of the fight itself. Joe Louis, the African American against Carnera, the Caucasian. At first, Joe seems to be losing, but he does win in the end. This represents what the African American race has experienced. They went through slavery and hard times, but they remained strong and now have their freedom. Angelou uses both imagery and symbolism as to put forth her message that through hardest of hardships, her race can survive. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a black man, Tom Robinson, is on trial for raping a white woman during the time of black segregation. Though there is given sufficient evidence that he is innocent, because it was an all-white jury, he is still found guilty after many hours of deliberation. His lawyer, Atticus, explains to his daughter who cannot comprehend why Robinson is found guilty that though they did not win the case, the fact that the jury reflected for so many hours that a black man might be innocent was a step towards a greater good. This can be linked to “Chapter 19” because though the African American race was put down because Robinson was convicted, in the end; a greater good was served which lead to the victory of all African Americans. Frederick Douglass is a well known leader of the abolitionist movement. He fought to free slaves within the United States. He himself was a slave as a child before becoming an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. He fought for the adoption of constitutional amendment that guaranteed civil liberties for blacks. Both Douglass and the character in “Chapter 19” represent the African American race. Both survived hard times and near loss, to finally be victorious.
English 417
Mr. Bakos
The Triumphant Race
Maya Angelou’s “Chapter 19 of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” describes a small Southern town who’s gathered in the local store to listen to a championship boxing match on the radio between an African American, Joe Louis, and a Caucasian, Carnera. Louis almost loses the fight, but in the end defeats his contender. He is not only triumphant by winning the title of champion of the world, but through his win, his race is also victorious. It appears as that Angelou makes reference to the fact that her race can be beaten, but will never be broken down. Another theme explored is that of how major events unite people through a common desire or belief. Angelou uses tone to enhance
the meaning of her message. It appears as though the author uses a slow paced tone at the beginning which creates a sense of comfort and ease in the reader. When the fight begins, the author creates a sense of hope, and then completely removes it when Joe Louis shows signs of losing. The tone switches from hopeful and confident to utter despair. The author demonstrates their desperation through the single line “If Joe lost we were back in slavery and beyond help” (135). The tone and diction immerses the reader into a mood of great sadness. After this break-down of the spirit, the author lifts the reader out of depression into great victory. Angelou intentionally sets a mood of despair to contrast the mood of rejoicement as to make it that much more powerful. The theme and tone are relative because from despair blooms a greater sense of triumph. The same applies to the African American race. They were dejected, but they in the end were victorious. Imagery is prevalent throughout the chapter. The strongest image is that of the contrast of black and white. The first is “a black sky streaked with lightning” (133) and the second is “white lightning in their soft-drink bottles” (136). The imagery depicted is that of streaks of white within a greater amount of black. This links to the theme that the white (representing the white race) might try to disturb the black (African American race) but it is the black which remains predominant (victorious) in the end. The greatest symbolism though is that of the fight itself. Joe Louis, the African American against Carnera, the Caucasian. At first, Joe seems to be losing, but he does win in the end. This represents what the African American race has experienced. They went through slavery and hard times, but they remained strong and now have their freedom. Angelou uses both imagery and symbolism as to put forth her message that through hardest of hardships, her race can survive. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a black man, Tom Robinson, is on trial for raping a white woman during the time of black segregation. Though there is given sufficient evidence that he is innocent, because it was an all-white jury, he is still found guilty after many hours of deliberation. His lawyer, Atticus, explains to his daughter who cannot comprehend why Robinson is found guilty that though they did not win the case, the fact that the jury reflected for so many hours that a black man might be innocent was a step towards a greater good. This can be linked to “Chapter 19” because though the African American race was put down because Robinson was convicted, in the end; a greater good was served which lead to the victory of all African Americans. Frederick Douglass is a well known leader of the abolitionist movement. He fought to free slaves within the United States. He himself was a slave as a child before becoming an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. He fought for the adoption of constitutional amendment that guaranteed civil liberties for blacks. Both Douglass and the character in “Chapter 19” represent the African American race. Both survived hard times and near loss, to finally be victorious.