Maya Angelou's Poetry Essay

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” Maya Angelou, as shown in this quote, was very hopeful and determined in overcoming the prejudice that African Americans still face. Many of her poems include these ideals, as well, including “Still I Rise,” one of her most well-known poems. She was also well-known for being a civil rights activist, along with writing several books. In fact, Angelou was the first black woman director in Hollywood and has written, produced, and been featured in many productions. She has also won many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Spingarn Medal, and the Langston Hughes Medal. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. Her full name was Marguerite Ann Johnson, and she died on May 28, 2014 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A careful analysis of Angelou’s poetry reveals the following stylistic choices: repetition, the theme of the history and oppression of African Americans,
These poetic devices are seen in a large amount of her poems, including her poem “I know why the caged bird sings.” For example, she uses, “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom,” as a refrain, which appears throughout the poem. There is another sentence that appears at the end of the stanza before the previous refrain: “His wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.” Both of these quotes are repeated twice in the poem, giving them emphasis. These lines are repeated to emphasize why the “caged bird” sings, which is in the title of the poem. The caged bird is also a metaphor for people, specifically African Americans and slavery, and it talks about how a slave wants to be free but can’t do anything else, so he sings about