Essay 1
Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her experience of the brutality and inhumanity of slavery were pivotal in creating a literature giant whose works have continued to inspire generations of readers and writers. In the poem “I know why the Caged Bird Sings” Angelou utilizes stylistic technique to unwrap the themes of freedom and segregation (“Maya Angelou: Global Renaissance Woman”).
This poem is fashioned around the experiences of two birds. One is free and the other is caged. The free bird is able to scale heights and enjoy its unrestricted life. In contrast, the caged bird has no freedom, its wings have been clipped and the feet are tied. It watches the events outside with rage but manages to sing with its throat. The omniscient narrator is keenly observing the two birds and contrasting their situation.
The juxtaposition of the two birds and their extreme conditions is indicative of the differences that existed in the society that Angelou was writing about. The first stanza is dedicated to the free bird which is depicted as being active and really enjoying its freedom. The second stanza begins with the word ‘but’ in order to highlight the different situation of the locked-up bird.
The poet utilizes description to convey the message of freedom and discrimination. The free bird is said to “leap” float and dip its wings (Angelou 1, 3, 5). These verbs indicate exuberance, vigor and joyful activity. It is said to dare to claim the sky (Angelou 7) which implies a desire to attain and own the highest ideals or ambitions. In contrast, the bird in the cage is described in stanza two as having unclear vision (Angelou 10) because of rage. He has been immobilized not only by the boundaries of the cage but also the clipping of his wings and tying of his legs (Angelou 12-13). The stark contrast is a metaphor for the differences between the two races and the lost opportunities for growth by African-Americans.
The poet also uses symbolism as the two birds are symbols of the experiences of the white and black races. The free bird, representing white people, has all the opportunities before him to make it in life. Meanwhile, black people, symbolized by the caged bird, are denied freedom and segregated. Being caged (segregated) is not enough and all wings (dreams and ambitions) have to be cut off. This implies that even if some freedoms are eventually given to blacks they will still find it hard to achieve their dreams because their psyche and will are impaired by the oppressor. There is hope, however, for the bird because it can sing (Angelou 14, 21, 30) the song of freedom. This song can be heard over the hills - an indication that white people are aware of the struggles of the black people for freedom.
Conclusion
Maya Angelou was not immune to the racial segregation and restricted freedom for blacks that characterized her time (“Maya Angelou: Global Renaissance Woman”). In this poem she captures the predicament of the black person who is immobilized and incapacitated but at the same time expresses hope through the song of the caged bird. The poem utilizes juxtaposition, description and symbolism to describe the situation and express hope for freedom for black people.
Essay 2
The Guilt of Abortion
Abortion is a controversial issue in society especially when viewed through moral and religious lenses. Like any other social debate with divisive qualities, is has become the subject of many a literary work. In Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “The Mother” it is evident that irrespective of whether it is legal or illegal, moral or immoral, abortion leaves the mother involved with a scarred conscience long after the event has occurred.
Abortion and Guilt in “The Mother”
The speaker is a woman who appears to have committed a number of abortions (Harold 15). The poet uses apostrophe since the speaker is addressing imaginary aborted children. The mother vivifies the dead children in order to express her feelings of guilt. She remembers the children she aborted as those she should have but does not (Brooks 2). Like any other mother, she has witnessed the birth of children and is now having a mental experience of the birth of a child. She describes the appearance of the head and the fact that no jubilant relatives or neighbors witness the event (Brooks 3-4).
She also gives excuses for her actions. She says that her actions were not deliberate (Brooks 21). She is unsure whether the children are dead or were never made (Brooks 26). The poet uses repetition to in the last lines as the mother asserts that she did love her children even if she aborted them (Brooks 31-33). Ironically, the poem is titled “The Mother” and one wonders whether a person who has committed abortion is still a mother.
At the end of the poem, one realizes that the mother is both apologetic and also justifying her stance. She talks of a deliberateness that was not deliberate (Brooks 21). She is also not sure whether to say the children were alive (in which case she killed them) or they were never made (Harold 16). These are the main issues underlying debate on abortion. Is the aborted child a human being? Does life begin at conception or birth? Her confusion is aggravated by the fact that she is a mother, which implies she carried life in her body and terminated it. The mother is worried, though, that she never gave the child a chance to laugh or cry (Brooks 30). The poet is emphatic that no justification will take away the guilt because abortions do not allow the perpetrator to forget (Brooks 1).
In the final analysis Gwendolyn Brooks is trying to view abortion from the perspectives of both pro and anti-abortion advocates (Harold 15). The anti-abortion side seems to get more weight but the poem remains well-balanced. In essence, the poet is telling readers that despite the reasons for abortion, the unborn child is denied an opportunity to live and the mother will forever be haunted by her actions.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. “Maya Angelou: Global Renaissance Woman”. n.d. Web. Apr. 25 2013.
Angelou, Maya. “I know why the Caged Bird Sings”. 1969. Web. Apr. 26 2013.
Bloom, Harold. Gwendolyn Brooks. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers, 2003. Print.
Brooks, Gwendolyn. “The Mother”. 2012. Web. Apr. 26 2013.
