https://padlet.com/kenna_51746/fr0i065pbw1v kenna johnson en-us 2017-04-04 23:47:57 UTC 2024-07-16 00:36:46 UTC hello@padlet.com kenna_51746 https://padlet.com/kenna_51746/fr0i065pbw1v/wish/164758568 Poet Biography: Maya Angelou was born on April 4th 1928. Her birth name was Margeurite Annie Johnson, while she was still young her parents split up and she was sent to live with her grandma in Arkansas. She was very talented and pushed the limit toward many activities. Some of which include singing, acting, and writing. She faced racial prejudice and legal family issues around the young age of 7. She was raped by her mothers boyfriend during a visit, maya's uncle killed the boyfriend. Angelou was stunned and this experience, it was life changing for her. She moved to San Fransisco during World War 2 and as a 16 year old gave birth to a son that she raised on her own. During the middle of her life her career was headed straight towards  success. She began acting in plays and later moved to Egypt to work on her editing skills. After moving back to the states she began writing about her life story, which became a number one selling book. 

Literary terms:
1. Anaphora- the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs. 
On lines three, six, twenty-one, twenty-four, forty-one, and forty-four Angelou repeats the phrase " Life doesn't frighten me at all"(Angelou).  This is also coincidentaly  the title of her poem.
2. Diction- is word choice. Diction can be formal or informal, abstract or concrete, plain or ornate, ordinary or technical.
On lines 30 and 31 it states " (Kissy little girls with their hair in curls.)" (Angelou). Maya could've chosen more common words such as sassy or bratty but, she chose the word kissy. This shows her heritage and her lifestyle as an African American.
3. Flashback- a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time. 
On lines 28-32 it says "That new classroom where (kissy little girls with their hair in curls) They don't frighten me at all." (Angelou). In this section she is remembering what is was like to be a kid. Going to a new school with new people who can be rude and hurt you.
 Paragraph:
The theme of the poem "Life doesn't frighten me" by Maya Angelou is to not be afraid of instances or things that naturally happen in life. To stand tall, be brave, and courageous. The structure of this poem is simple, its fairly short and to the point. There are forty-four lines in this poem and all forty-four  of them are in one stanza. The meaning of this poem is to be brave and confident, to not be afraid of what life has to offer.  Angelou was put through many horrible situations, still she wrote this inspiring poem to tell everyone to not be afraid. 

MLA citations:

• Angelou, Maya. "Life Doesn't Frighten Me." Best Poems. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
• Angelou, Maya. "Phenomenal Woman." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017. 
• "Maya Angelou." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 06 Feb. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
• The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Maya Angelou." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 05 Feb. 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2017

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Literary Terms:
1. Repetition- a technique in which a sound, word, phrase or line is repeated for emphasis or unity. In lines10-13 and lines 26-29 this phrase is repeated, "I'm a woman/ Phenomenally/ Phenomenal woman,/ That's me." She uses this technique because it emphasizes her main message in the poem is that she is an amazing woman that distracts everyone she meets and by repeating this phrase it is just reinforcing that idea.
2. Metaphor- a technique in which two unlike things are compared without using like or as. In lines19-20 Angelou writes , "Then they swarm around me,/ A hive of honey bees." In this quote she is comparing men and bees which are two things that would not normally be compared, but when Angelou compares the two it brings a new meaning to the simile. The readers can really imagine the men going after to her in that way and these two things compared now make sense to the audience.
3. Parallelism- the repetition of a grammatical pattern to express ideas that are related or equal in importance. The parallel elements may be words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs.Maya Angelou showcases this literary term in lines 7-9 when she writes, "The span of my hips,/The stride of my step,/ The curl of my lips." By using this technique she is adding more flow and style to her poem.

Paragraph:
 The theme of this poem is to always stay confident and put your best foot forward. She said that everyone wanted to know what made her so desirable, what made all of the men swarm around her and the message was confidence. That's what this poem is all about, her confidence. The structure of this poem is two very long stanzas followed by one short concluding stanza. The rhyming pattern is all over the place but there are a few lines here and there that rhyme. The meaning of the poem was to boost her self confidence as well as telling the others her secret is her overall confidence. It is kind of an anthem of being yourself and having people admire you. The historical context of this poem is that this was in a time when black people were treated horribly by white members of the community. It was a time when black people were oppressed and this poem is like her letter of saying she is amazing no matter the circumstances.

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