Analysis Of Graduation Day By Maya Angelou - 728 Words

Are encouraging words the uniting force when fighting injustice? In â€Å"Graduation Day,† Maya Angelou addresses how encouraging words affected the injustice she faced as a child. Angelou informs her audience about the influence encouraging words had on her and the people in her community. These uplifting words united her community in a time of overwhelming bias. Encouraging words unite oppressed people to fight injustice. Spiritual words unite communities to fight injustice and practice in good works. First, Angelou’s minister spoke encouraging words to the community the Sunday before Graduation about the trials they will face. The minister not only spoke to the graduates but also anyone fighting injustice. The minister exhorted, â€Å"‘Let your†¦show more content†¦Angelou’s encounter with her brother speaks volumes to the character he has. Not only did his words encourage, but his actions did as well. Her brother’s calming demeanor help ed unite his family in such an important and crucial time in Angelou’s life. Angelou’s mother then helped her by comforting her physically and emotionally. Angelou explains her mother’s compassion, â€Å"†¦if Momma hadn’t reached for my hand I would have drifted back to Bailey and Uncle Willie, and possibly beyond. She made a few slow jokes about my feet getting cold, and tugged me along to the now-strange building† (Angelou, 2014, p. 184). Angelou’s mother assures her that she can do this and encourages her to keep going. These moments with her family positively changed her. Although the actions did encourage Angelou, the words made a larger impact. The demeanor and eloquence in which Angelou’s mother and brother spoke kept her calm and united her with the rest of her family. This validates that words from family members have an enormous effect on people. Empowering words instill an overwhelming sense of pride. Finally, Angelouà ¢â‚¬â„¢s classmate Henry Reed unifies the community with his encouraging words. Reed’s speech is entitled â€Å"To Be or Not to Be† and completely changes the tone set by the earlier speaker, Donleavy. â€Å"His voice rose on tides of promise and fell on waves of warnings. The English teacher had helped him to create a sermon winging through Hamlet’s soliloquy† (Angelou, 2014, p. 187). Reed’sShow MoreRelatedMaya Angelou Response Essay717 Words   |  3 Pageshistory since colonial times. In her essay â€Å"Graduation,† Maya Angelou recollects the experience of her eighth grade graduation in the 1930s to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination. Through narrative structure, selection of detail, and use of imagery, Angelou encourages young blacks to follow their ambitions with pride, despite what the â€Å"white man† thinks of them. Through her narrative structure, Angelou aspires for young black students to maintainRead MoreI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou6502 Words   |  27 PagesAnalysis: Chapters 1–5 The lines from the poem Maya cannot finish, â€Å"What are you looking at me for? I didn’t come to stay . . .† capture two of the most significant issues she struggles with in her childhood and young adulthood: feeling ugly and awkward and never feeling attached to one place. First, Maya imagines that though people judge her unfairly by her awkward looks, they will be surprised one day when her true self emerges. At the time, she hopes that she will emerge as if in a fairy-taleRead MoreThe Honor Roll Award : The Outstanding Achievement Award1673 Words   |  7 Pagesabout impressing others. Now that I had to choose my potential career path, I had absolutely no idea where to begin. I ended up seeking help from the one person I’d least expect. My mother. My mom has never attempted to go to college. Back in her day you could secure a decent paying job with very little schooling. You just had to know the right people. My mother has worked as a Registered Nurse at the Laurel’s Nursing Home for the past 35 years but hasn’t ever taken a college credit course. SheRead MoreThe Theory Of The Contingency Theory Essay1878 Words   |  8 Pagesto take on the challenges and the opportunities that await. I had a choice to walk away, or to apply the â€Å"No Matter What Theory.† A true leader will adapt to any circumstances, to rise to the top as a transformational leader. In the words of Maya Angelou, â€Å"I will rise.† Marist Creates â€Å"No Matter What† Leaders Prior to starting Marist, my leadership skills were not developed. With the cognitive tools that Marist is providing me with, I am now on my way to becoming a transformational