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ADITYA

Negro Mother is a poem by majorly influential author Maya Angelou detailing an African-American mother telling her children about how they must fight for equality and the labour and pain that she went through and to ensure that she can reach the proverbial ‘finish line’ via her children. We can see this in the lines “I am the one who laboured as a slave, Beaten and mistreated for the work I gave” and “Now through my children, Im reaching the goal”.

The purpose of this poem is to shed light on the hardships faced by African-Americans and how the fight for equality isn’t won in a day, instead through several trials and tribulations. The poem explains that one should fight for their rights and no matter how much pain and labor you experience, the war can still be won.

There is an incredible amount of beauty in this poem, showing a mother who was harmed and mistreated having the joy of being able to witness her children fight for the same goal and receive the fundamental rights that she was not given. This familial fight for rights allows for the audience to witness the pure beauty of this poem and how even if it takes generations, the fight for equality will never die.

The truth present within this poem is how African-Americans are treated in society. For the longest time they were slaves, seen as a subspecies and below human. Several different people even tried to prove why they were below others, chalking it up to false genetic claims and religion. The Negro Mother had suffered at the hands of others for so long, for a reason that had no scientific evidence to back it up and she wanted her kids to continue the fight she had fought.

The beauty present within the poem reveals the truth within as the mother serves as a way to represent the slavery, discrimination and pain experienced by the African-American community.

Beauty may be used to conceal truth by changing the message of the story for those who do not look into the poem as much. At face value the poem is about a mother having gone through pain but emerged victorious and she is narrating that story to her children. However, on closer inspection you can actually see the tragedy, the mother functionally did not have a life, her life filled with labor and pain. She does not want that life for her children.

The poet’s attitude throughout this poem is one that is proud, reveling in her history and how even though she suffered she is still walking proud.  We can see this in the lines “I nourished the dream that nothing could smother, Deep in my breast - the Negro Mother. Another attitude is inspiring, inspiring her children to follow in her footsteps and help the fight against marginalized racism in the United States.  line that shows this is Oh, my dark children, may my dreams and my prayers, impel you forever up the great stairs”

Bhumika- In this poem, “the Negro Mother” tells the childrem the history of the African Americans and what they had to go through. She tells them to remember the heritage as motivation to continue to fight for the equality of African Americans in society. The author uses allusion, repetition, and imagery to awaken the new generation of African Americans to stand up and fight for a better future.

I think that the theme in this poem is perseverance because “the negro mother” just went through so much to fight for her rights and she got it at the end. “The Negro Mother” places a lot of trust in her children and lets them know that it’s up to them to continue to fight for equality, which creates a hopeful and optimistic mood. She makes the children feel confident to make their dreams come true.

Allusion- the author gave references to historical events like the middle passage (“I am the dark girl who crossed the red sea”)

Repetition- the author repeats many words, (especially “I”) to add emphasis and mark their importance.

Imagery- the author uses imagery to show what she had to face, (“long dark way,” “look at my face-dark as the knight”)

Seung and Bhumika- The theme in this poem is perseverance because “the negro mother” just went through so much to fight for her rights and she got it at the end. It also shows the love and motivation towards a specific race to help overcome future conflicts and to be treated equal as it is the hopes and dreams of a young mother.

Seung- I think negro mother's audience is all human. All human beings deserve the same respect and the same treatment. Negro mother was enslaved because of her skin color.The reason she wrote this poem is probably to advocate for human equality, and for the fact that all human being has their freedom.

Arnav - The poem “Negro Mother” tells the story of a mother and the hardships she faced. She recalls all the toiling work she underwent without pay, as a slave. In one line she says “Bringing the cotton and the corn to yield. I am the one who labored as a slave”. She recollects what she did as a slave. By informing her children of her penury and years as a slave, they are more grateful for what they have. The freedom they have allows them to be their own men.

How the author’s history and culture have influenced the poem-Social, cultural & historical contexts - The author’s history is vital here, since her past experiences are being brought to the forefront here and she is informing her children about the hardships she faced. In those times, it was customary for people of the black race to work as slaves for people of the white race. She also took inspiration from other prominent black authors such as Langston Hughes, W.E.B Dubois and many other authors who influenced her writing. Her own personal history also comes into play in her poems. At age 8, she was raped which she recalls in her book “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”.

Amelia and Sanskriti: The poem uses many common literary devices such as metaphor, simile, symbolism, refrain etc-

Metaphor- “Remember my years, heavy with sorrow,-And make of those years a torch for tomorrow.” A direct comparison is being made

Symbolism- “Remember my sweat, my pain, my despair. Remember my years, heavy with sorrow -” These sentences symbolize and give significance to the pain felt by the Negro mother.

Simile- “- dark as the night -, Yet shining like the sun” it has an indirect comparison,  and is similar in construction to metaphors, but it implies a different meaning. The sentence suggests something is shining as bright as the sun or is as dark as the night.

Imagery- “- dark as the night -, Yet shining like the sun”. This line also includes figurative language which helps to visualize better.

Personification- “Sometimes, the valley was filled with tears,”A valley is a nonhuman object and is not capable of crying tears.

Rohit -

Look at my face - dark as the night

Oh, my dark children

Remember the whip and the slavers track

Stand like free men supporting my trust

Beaten and mistreated

Labored as slaves

The poem, ‘Negro mother’ uses many phrases and sentences to show the struggles that dark skinned people went through. These can include phrases such as; ‘dark as night’, ‘labored as slave’, ‘beaten and mistreated’, etc. All these phrases show what people had to do in order for their own survival. E.g. the line; ‘labored as slaves’ shows that black people were a large part of the slavery industry. Another line used in this poem is; ‘beaten and mistreated.’ This can represent how dark skinned people did not have any choice in living. They were always underappreciated and overworked as they got sold from one individual to another.

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What is the beauty of this work?

Can you find truth in this poetry?

How might beauty reveal truth?

How might beauty conceal truth?

Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem.(Riya)
Stanza 1:
-The use of the word “thus” to begin the poem sends the message that the speaker is telling a story. The speaker also uses the past tense to create a setting for the story, indicating that the story first began long ago.
-The continent Africa is personified as a beautiful woman. The woman is described as reposing peacefully, like a princess in deep slumber. The second stanza later elaborates, she is to experiences a rude awakening.

Stanza 2:
-Africans, taking away religious freedom.
-The speaker describes in detail the violence that has torn Africa apart. The Africans have been raped, enslaved, and killed.
-Africa is once again lying down. The violent descriptions of the stanza, the speaker suggests that at this point in the story, Africa is no longer resting peacefully. Rather, the continent is “lying down” in pain, beaten to the ground by white oppressors.
-Africa was resting peacefully in the first stanza, she is now lying down bleeding. The white oppressors have taken away her power and knocked the African people the ground.

Stanza 3:
-Describes the African people’s pain and loss.
-emphasizing that the beauty of the African continent, its traditions, and its people have not been lost.
-taking big steps toward a brighter future, even though she was once lying down in pain.
-No pain, no gain

How the author’s history and culture have influenced the poem-Social, cultural & historical contexts.(Riya)
The poem was written in the 1970s a time of great political change in Africa. Gradually, most of the colonies in Africa became politically independent in the 1960s and 1970s, with the notable exception of South Africa, which would remain under apartheid (racial segregation) until the 1990s. The poem therefore celebrates the spirit of the African people as they took back power from European colonizers.

Identify at least 5-6 literary devices along with their effect: How they convey the poem’s message. (Riya)
1. Enjambment
2. Personification
3.
4.
5.
6.

For your presentation, the following topics must be clear for discussion at start: (Riya)
What does the title mean?
The titles is Africa, it's the country.
Who is the subject of the poem?
It is on all the hardships Africa has faced, it still stands strong.
Purpose of the poem:
The purpose of the poem is to inform people about what happened in Africa and how the continent still stands tall despite what happened.
Audience & Themes:
Primary Audience: African people
Secondary  Audience: Anyone interested in reading the poem
Themes:
-Racism
-Inequality
-Slavery
-Oppressions
What is the poet’s attitude?
The poets attitude is brave and proud of her country.

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Group 2 - Phenomenal Women (Saanvi, Trith, Arnav, Ryu, Tanish)

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Group 2 - Phenomenal Women (Saanvi, Trith, Arnav, Ryu, Tanish)

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What is the beauty of this work? Tirth

challenges restrictive notions of feminine beauty. She rejects thin cultural magnificence norms, and demands rather that genuine excellence comes from a position of fearlessness and self-acknowledgment. The speaker opens the poem by referencing the “secret” to her appeal.

Can you find truth in this poetry?

How might beauty reveal truth?

How might beauty conceal truth?

Beauty can often be used to hide the truth, as physical appearance is what we normally consider beauty. If something is appealing to the eye we may forget about the mess that could be behind. A beautiful person may be bad at heart we'll still call them beautiful as appearances are deceiving.

Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem

How the author’s history and culture have influenced the poem-Social, cultural & historical contexts. Tirth

Maya breaks the stereotypes associated with women and presents a new definition of a phenomenal woman, who is beautiful despite her skin colour. She read Black writers like Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar, as well as standard works by William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Identify at least 5-6 literary devices along with their effect: How they convey the poem’s message. -Saanvi

1. Metaphor: There are two metaphors in the poem. First is used in the second stanza where it is stated, “Then they swarm around me, / A hive of honey bees.” Maya compares the admiring men with honey bees. The men surround her, as they are attracted to her. The second one is used in the eighth line of the second stanza where it is stated, “it’s the fire in my eyes,” and here she compares her confidence and passion with fire.

2. Hyperbole: Maya has used hyperbole in the start of the second stanza, “I walk into a room just as cool as you please, / and to a man, / The fellows stand or fall down on their knees.” Through this hyperbole, she shows her superiority over men.

3. Personification: Maya has personified joy in the third stanza of the poem where it is stated, “the joy in my feet” as if feet are human, and that they rejoice while dancing or walking.

4. Alliteration: An alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines of the poetry such as the use of /f/ in “fall”, “fire” and “flash.” This use has enhanced the musical quality of the lines.

5. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers feel things through their five senses. Maya Angelou has skillfully created a visual description of a phenomenal woman who enjoys her beauty and loves being a woman. The images in this poem are aplenty. The examples of images are: “The curl of my lips”, “The swing of my waist”, “The ride of my breast”, “The stride of my steps”, “The flash of my teeth”, “and The palm of my hand.” The poet has used powerful imagery to describe the body of a woman. These images help readers to visualize the personality of a strong woman.

6. Irony: Irony is a figure of speech that states the opposite meanings of the situation being discussed. Similarly, the poet presents the image of a woman according to her perception in contrast with the opinion of the world. She beautifully mocks at the concept of beauty held by most people in the society which is primarily concerned with external beauty. Hence, she emphasizes that real beauty comes with inner strength and poise.

For your presentation, the following topics must be clear for discussion at start:

What does the title mean?

Who is the subject of the poem?

(Ryu) Purpose of the poem:
The purpose of the poem, "Phenomenal Women" is  to admire the beauty and self-confidence of a woman.

(Ryu) Audience & Themes:
The audience of the poem are young teenage girls. The poem talks about the confidence they should have on the skin color an individual has. This shows the themes of the poem to be identity, pride, self-love, and self-acceptance.

What is the poet’s attitude?

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Group 1: Phenomenal Woman (Sahithi, Rahul, Ishi, Varalakshmi, Pujita, and Nakshath)

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Group 1: Phenomenal Woman (Sahithi, Rahul, Ishi, Varalakshmi, Pujita, and Nakshath)

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Big 5 on the poem "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

Sahithi - Audience:
The target audience in the poem Phenomenal Woman is young girls and African American woman. Angelou rejects the expectations of woman and explains a perspective on what beauty really is, allowing young woman to use this poem as an inspiration. She presents "Phenomenal Woman" as someone who is still beautiful despite their skin color/race. Her goal being to break the certain stereotypes associated with a woman's beauty depending on their skin color.

Rahul - Purpose:
The purpose of the overall poem is to use the aspect of symbolism towards the treatment of Black woman. Specifically, Maya Angelou indirectly communicates the struggles of a woman from the black community. Quotes like 'Now you understand Just why my head's not bowed' and ' Men themselves have wondered What they see in me. They try so much But they can't touch My inner mystery'. This a reference to how Black woman are judged based on their outer looks or skin color, rather than their overall personality, talents or skills. They're bounded to be treated like lower class citizens, all because of their historical events related towards color and racial discrimination.

Ishi - Tone/Mood:
The poem “Phenomenal Woman” was written by the poet Maya Angelou to appreciate a black woman’s beauty. Maya Angelou describes herself with confidence, highlighting all of her unique features. The tone of the poem is confident and the mood of the poem is empowering. Maya Angelou’s appreciation for herself shows off her confidence, and the language she used also displays this. The second to last stanza in the poem specifically shows off her confidence through descriptive language such as “ I say, It's in the click of my heels,” and  “Now you understand Just why my head's not bowed.”. Through her language, she makes the reader feel empowered and strong. As the audience of this poem is Black girls and women, Maya Angelou wanted them to feel empowered, confident, and  proud in their own skin. The way that Maya Angelou has written the poem doesn’t make it seem like she’s full of herself, but rather it sounds inspiring. “I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size” can inspire young Black women, showing them that they don’t need to be the size of a fashion model to be beautiful. Overall, Maya Angelou’s confidence and specific use of language makes the reader feel empowered and inspired.

Varalakshmi - Structure:
In the poem "Phenomenal Woman" the structure contains maximum 30 line and The structure of a poem plays is the term for the way that all formal elemnts of the work come together in a single piece of literature.examples of structure in a poetry include:meter and rhythm,which create a regular beat.rhyme.scheme,which uses ryming words to creart emphasis.

Nakshath - Stylistic devices:

Hyperbole: "I walk into a room just as cool as you please, / and to a man, / The fellows stand or fall down on their knees," Maya begins the second stanza. She demonstrates her superiority over men by using hyperbole.

Metaphor: The poem contains two metaphors. The first is used in the second stanza, "Then they swarm around me, / A hive of honey bees." Maya compares the admiring men to honey bees. The men swarm around her because they are drawn to her. The second is used in the eighth line of the second stanza, "it's the fire in my eyes," where she compares her confidence and passion to fire.

personification: Maya has used personification. In the third stanza of the poem, she personifies joy by saying, "the joy in my feet," as if feet are human.

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ALL GROUPS-FINAL PRESENTATION TASK DETAILS

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ALL GROUPS-FINAL PRESENTATION TASK DETAILS

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Students research and enter details in the padlet. The padlet will be screened during discussion

The oral presentation held next day will be interactive with teacher asking specific questions about literary devices and effect. Teacher will ask each student a question, meaning students must be aware of all elements in the text.

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Group 3- Negro Mother (Dhruthi, Parineeta, Rebecca, Trisha, Charlotte and Muneesh)

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Group 3- Negro Mother (Dhruthi, Parineeta, Rebecca, Trisha, Charlotte and Muneesh)

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What is the beauty of this work?
The beauty of this work is the love of a mother and her compassion towards her children. How 'the mother' expresses her care and sensitivity towards her children by wishing them nothing but the best for their futures.

Can you find truth in this poetry?
The truth in this poem is the history behind 'the mother' and her struggles and hardships. How 'the mother' reveals the truth behind her, which is the history, oppression, slavery and racism which she has faced. This poem reveals the truth and informs us and the children about the severe backstory of African-american slaves.

How might beauty reveal truth?

How might beauty conceal truth?

Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem

How the author’s history and culture have influenced the poem-Social, cultural & historical contexts.

Identify at least 5-6 literary devices along with their effect: How they convey the poem’s message.

parineeta:
In the poem, an oxymoron is also utilised to emphasise the contrast between the harshness of reality, which throws the narrator down, and the narrator's determination and effort to attain equality. For instance, even though the narrator " couldn't write. she had nothing, back there in the night," and even though "Sometimes, the valley was full with tears," she would "keep trudging on through the lonely years." Furthermore, there is a contrast between the gloomy treatment of African-Americans and their upbeat encouragement toward their aims of reaching grand equality."Sometimes, the road was hot with the sun/But I had to keep on till my work was done." The path that was "hot with the sun" has a metaphorical sense that refers to the hurdles that the narrator had to overcome. The narrator's journey has been difficult, and the sun's symbolism reflects this. Similarly, the narrator states, "make those years a torch for tomorrow/Make of my pass a road to the light," which essentially means that the narrator's struggle is valuable because her and their ancestors' efforts have become another step of the "great stair" toward achieving African American equality.As a result, the poet succeeds in articulating the message the narrator is attempting to infer through the use of language, oxymoron, and metaphors: the pursuit of equality for Black People should not be abandoned, but should be pursued regardless of suffering until total equality is attained.The allusion illustrated to Moses and the Exodus in line 7 is a reference to Moses and the Exodus. By crossing the Red Sea, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses aided the Israelites in their liberation from slavery. When the narrator declares that she has "crossed the red sea," she is implying that she is leading the way to freedom for "the seed of the free," or the younger generation of African Americans. She employs a number of similes, such as describing her face as "black as the night" but "shining like the sun with love's real light"; a simile contrasts two unrelated objects by using the words like or as.In the poem "The Negro Mother," Hughes uses diction, personification, and references to help illustrate the greater themes of African American society. There is a lot of personification in this poem. "I nourished the dream that nothing could smother deep in my breast-the Negro mother," the persona  in poem.  She implies that deep within her heart, she guarded the idea of African Americans flourishing in the future. "God put a song and prayer in my mouth," the persona says at one point. In my soul, God implanted a steel-like dream." In other words, the objective and hope of African Americans achieving fairness would one day become a reality via prayer and faith in Jesus Christ. In conclusion, Langston Hughes uses diction, personification, and allusion to convey the larger issues of African Americans.

For your presentation, the following topics must be clear for discussion at start:
What does the title mean?
The poem’s title is “The Negro Mother”, which is significant because the entire story of poem comes back to the themes of resilience and hope in order for there to be a better future for the children born to black mothers than the lives that were dealt to so many Africans who were enslaved.

Who is the subject of the poem?
The poem follows the story of an African woman who was enslaved, who experienced all the harsh and inhumane cruelties of slavery.

Purpose of the poem:
The purpose of the poem is to tell the story of the people who were oppressed and forced into slavery who were silenced and to express that experience of strength and resilience.

Audience & Themes:
The themes of this poem are freedom and resilience. Freedom because this poem tells a story of many who never got to be free, yet remained free in spirit, overcoming every obstacle in their path to one day see the light after the vast ages of darkness. Resilience is a main theme because the poem is a story about struggling, and the long pathway to freedom, of every cruelty faced by the enslaved and yet overcoming them with little more than hope for a better future for the children who would be born to black mothers.

What is the poet’s attitude?
parineeta:
The Negro Mother's voice provides a powerful tone in this poem as she supports her children. Her speech captivates and draws the reader in, causing them to pay attention and pay attention to her words. This poem's attitude is full of love and hope for future generations of African Americans. The mother displays a lot of emotion throughout the poem, as well as a lot of tenacity in the words she uses.

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What is the beauty of this work?

Can you find truth in this poetry?

How might beauty reveal truth?

How might beauty conceal truth?

Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem

How the author’s history and culture have influenced the poem-Social, cultural & historical contexts.

Identify at least 5-6 literary devices along with their effect: How they convey the poem’s message.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

For your presentation, the following topics must be clear for discussion at start:
What does the title mean?
Who is the subject of the poem?
Purpose of the poem:
Audience & Themes:
What is the poet’s attitude?

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What is the beauty of this work? ( abhiram )

the poem compares Africa to a women’s body. a woman's body is symbolic of elegance, beauty and prosperity. the way Maya Angelou describes the women in the first stanza shows how beautiful Africa is. the second stanza talks about how this beauty has been destroyed by people, almost like throwing a bucket of paint on the mona Lisa. it brings tears to the audience when they read “ took her young daughters sold her strong sons”. maya Angelou was able to create the poem in such a manner that the audience is able to empathize with the Africans. i myself felt bitter at the end for the unfair treatment Africa has received. this is the beauty of the poem Africa

Can you find truth in this poetry? ( maneesh)

Yes there is truth in the poem, the author uses a woman to explain the features of Africa. The life of a woman is directly comparable to Africa and the author has used that truth to explain. The main message of the poem is how Africa is rising as a country after a long struggle and this is also implied to women, because after a long fight women are finally getting equal rights as men.

How might beauty reveal truth? ( abhiram, adrija)

Maya Angelou personifies the continent of Africa and describes it as a woman (beauty of the poem). The poet describes Africa as a woman and describes all the hardships the ‘woman’ had to go through, an example can be seen in stanza two, line five, ‘took her young daughters, stole her sons, churched her with Jesus and bled her with guns. Maya  Angelou did this so that the impact of the poem would be greater and there would be greater room for visual imagery.

How might beauty conceal truth? (aeshaan)

The author is using descriptive words to describe how hard African people work but the author is not directly giving away the point of how they are being treated by the society as there are many metaphors used in this poem which helps us understand what they go through.

Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem ( abhiram)

1. Thus she has lain

2. took her young daughters

3. sold her strong sons

4. now she is striding

5. her screams loud and vain

6. two Niles her tears.

7. although she has lain.

How the author’s history and culture have influenced the poem-Social, cultural & historical contexts. (adrija)

-The poem Africa refers to the continent of Africa, however the poet is describing the continent as a woman. The poem essentially talks about the struggles people in Africa had to go through, the poet describes aspects of slavery which is a part of African American history, and the author, Maya Angelou is an African American woman, hence African American history being a very big influence to this poem.

-The poem describes all the pain and hardships Africa and the people of Africa had to endure, this poem was personal to Maya Angelou, as her ancestors had to possibly endure this pain and mistreatment for several years.

-In the end, the poet describes how Africa will rise after years of hardships and mistreatment.

-This poem has multiple references to African American history, as it talks about how Africa’s history was slain, this was possibly said to reference the people coming to Africa to take young African people and put them into the slave trade.

Identify at least 5-6 literary devices along with their effect: How they convey the poem’s message.  ( janvi)
1. Enjambment
2. Personification
3.
4.
5.
6.

For your presentation, the following topics must be clear for discussion at start:
What does the title mean?
Who is the subject of the poem?
Purpose of the poem:
Audience & Themes:
What is the poet’s attitude?