In ‘I know why the caged bird sings‚’ Maya Angelou explores various themes that reflect her real life situation. One of the most outstanding themes is racism. Maya was born and bred in a highly racist society that was largely divided between whites and blacks. This shaped her early life and young adulthood. ‘I know why the caged bird sings‚’ presents a vivid autobiography of her experiences. In fact‚ the title is a metaphor describing her desire to escape from her confines‚ just like a bird struggles
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“Still I Rise” by the African-American poet Maya Angelou‚ written almost 40 years after the Harlem renaissance ceased‚ displays a variety of emotions and poetic devices. Maya Angelou incorporates her personal struggles gives the audience a sense of the determination she felt to reach equality. The reader can see her anger towards the discrimination she faced at the time. “Still I Rise” is a type of poem called a lyric poem. Most lyric poetry expresses raw emotion and is commonly spoken in third
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The story New Directions by Maya Angelou was my choice.The theme of this short story is survival a way to make something out of nothing.The setting and characterization of the story were in 1903 of Arkansas.Her name was Mrs.Annie Johnson‚ and she was over six feet tall and big boned. The first element of the story is characterization.Annie had two toddler sons with very little money and an unhealthy marriage.To add to the list‚ she was a black person with limited ability to read and add numbers.Mrs
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Composition & Literature | Amy Tan | Professor Blum | JAEL VARGAS 12/17/2012 | This story’s main events take place in Chinatown throughout the 1950s and perhaps early 1960s. The main character of the story‚ who is also the protagonist‚ is the author herself: Amy Tan. The antagonist happens to be her own mother‚ who is always pushing Amy to discover some hidden talent and be someone she is not. There are a few other minor characters in the story. There is Lindo Jong (who she calls
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Famed author Amy Tan was born on February 19‚ 1952 in Oakland California. Her father was an electrical engineer and a Baptist minister. Her mother believed in Chinese spirits and left behind three daughters when she immigrated to America. Tan was raised in Northern California‚ but when her older brother and father both died from brain tumors‚ her mother took her and her younger brother to Europe. By the time she graduated high school‚ she had been attended eleven schools. She also got arrested for
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Tongue by Amy Tall Kaé Murray-Francis September 2‚ 2011 Florida Memorial University Recently‚ in my College Writing II class‚ I had the opportunity to read‚ “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. I enjoyed reading the essay so much that I decided to write my own analysis. “Mother Tongue” is an essay based on the power of language and the will to communicate. However‚ the essay is not just about language itself‚ but also about the relationship between a mother‚ Mrs. Tan‚ and her daughter‚ Amy Tan‚ who moved
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Amy Tan writes‚ in this essay‚ about the language that she and her mother used in their family while Tan was growing up. She makes a great effort to explain that their language‚ English‚ was never "broken" or "simple" as most people would say about it. Although she could speak perfect English‚ her mother could not. But‚ she grew up with her mother’s English way of speaking‚ and therefore learned to consider it as a natural language. She is trying to make a point here by saying that there is absolutely
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only be a mere reflection of skill without its own story‚ as Amy Tan once said "The goal of every serious writer of literature is to try to find your voice and your art because it comes from your own experiences‚ your own pain." Amy Tan herself writes all of her work with her mother in mind as the reader‚ her inspiration. She writes to show the beautiful and passionate side of her mother that people can’t see. In "Mother Tongue‚" Amy Tan describes how all of the Englishes that she grew up with‚ normal
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Culture affects how we perceive others and the world in many different ways. Culture is constructed by a number of different elements that define who we are. Depending on a person’s culture there are many different positions that often affect what we do on a daily basis. Every culture teaches others how to communicate‚ connect‚ and cooperate with one another. They teach them how to handle situations according to their cultures guidelines. Most cultures often think that their customs should be carried
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child‚” (Tan). Tan uses her own opinions and personal experiences to convey the importance of family language. She explains later how family language shapes her understanding of the world around her. The main language during Amy’s childhood was her mother’s language. She did not have much influence from her peers since she was isolated for being an immigrant. Therefore‚ her mother’s language “was the language that helped shape the way [she] saw things‚ expressed things‚ made sense of the world‚” (Tan)
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