Maya Angelou Women Work

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Women Work: Maya Angelou Maya Angelou starts off the poem with the repetition of an idea. Starting off with the word the, she then follows it with a spit fire of all the chores she must accomplish. Such as, “The floor to mop The food to shop the chicken to fry The baby to dry” a feel of rushed over whelming is felt adding to the effect of the poem because of the exclusion of punctuation. The struggle of this women is felt as she uses repetition to show how much she must actually get done in a day; simply reading all her chores is enough to exhaust the reader. Also, the repetition of the use of natural elements allows the reader to get to know the woman as connected to nature while giving us a strong sense of wide open spaces. She speaks of “Sun, rain, curving sky Mountain, oceans, lead and stone.” She only mentions the freest, broadest places such as the ocean and mountains. She mentions areas where one can get lost; giving us an insight into her conscience and her desires. Angelou also uses a lot of personification. “Shine on me, sunshine” Angelou speaks to the elements of weather. With this line she shows the strength of woman taking on all that is thrown at them, adding to the poem’s intent to empower the woman. Personification is next used when she speaks to the storm, “Storm, blow me from here with your fiercest wind Let me float across the sky “Till I can rest again” These words indirectly make us aware of how exhausted this woman is. She speaks to the storm of just allowing her to float peacefully; get away from all the hard work. This poem shows the struggle of a woman who does not have a lot. It shows the struggle of having so much to take care of; and the struggle to maintain a home. Her lines such as “Star shine, moon glow you’re all that I can call my own” show that she is a struggler. She doesn’t have all the riches and nice things
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