Stories and tales have risks that some rarely think about. To most audiences, they entertain people and bring smiles. What those audiences may not think about, however, is that stories can be dangerous. A story becomes dangerous when nothing can limit a storyteller’s power to manipulate fact. The difference between legends, myths, and folktales have become lost over the years. Legends originate from stories passed down person to person and contain small fractions of truth, myths come from beliefs shared in a culture rather than hard facts, and folktales originate from different tales or legends that have evolved into different variations. Although each of these have their own aspects, they all share in common the characteristic of lacking …show more content…
Stereotypes are generalized opinions or observations that are usually false, which shows how the perspective of outsiders affects the story. Not only is this stereotype false, but it causes Angelou to feel “inordinate rage,” which leads to controversy between her and the original teller of this story. Angelou feels this rage because she opposes the spreading of false information about her “fellow Blacks” to audiences who would most likely only hear that one side to the story. At the end of this quote, Angelou provides her audiences with imagery that shows the truth in the lives of these supposedly “gay song-singing cotton pickers.” If Angelou were to retell this story, it would not highlight how the cotton pickers enjoy their jobs and lives, but rather the pain and injuries that they are forced to endure as slaves. This shows how different stories would be after hearing from two sides. It also displays the dangers of a story when storytellers and audiences are unable to see the dilemma that slaves in the South face. A metaphor that conveys the difficulty that some may go through in order to repair informational damage caused by storytellers comes from Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She writes, “The odors of onions and oranges and kerosene had been mixing all night and wouldn’t be disturbed until the morning air forced its way in with the bodies of people who had walked miles to reach the pickup place” (Angelou 7).
Folklore is the traditional customs, beliefs, and stories of a community, passed down through generations. Legends are traditional stories sometimes regarded as historical but unauthenticated. Myths are traditional stories, one concerning the early history of people or explaining some social or natural phenomenon. It typically involves supernatural beings or events.
Stories incorporate the ability to change the decisions of humans. In “The Truth About Stories”, by Thomas King, and, Alternatives, by Drew Hayden Taylor, stories can stay with someone, as long as one lives. Despite this, certain stories can impact one’s life positively or negatively, while stories can also make one’s work invalid. However, stories can also act as common ground. Human behaviour is controlled by stories.
“Now no one can make you talk-possibly no one can.” This explains that your voice is yours, and no one can make you say something or do something you don’t want to do.Maya Angelou worked in a Store with her Momma in Stamps, Arkansas. But, when Maya was about 8 ,she started to have problems with finding her voice. By analyzing the beginning, middle, and end of I know why the Caged bird sings, it becomes clear that throughout the book Maya Angelou finds out how powerful her voice can be.
"Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option", that was one of Maya Angelou's quotes. She was an amazing person. Maya has had lots of jobs, and she was pretty good at them too. She was a writer and a couple other things. Maya Was great friends with some people who have changed a lot.
The Wonder of Words Alvin Toffler, an American writer and philosopher once said, “A library is a hospital for the mind.” Toffler had a deep understanding of the human brain and the ability of words to impact its healing. In her memoir I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou makes a discovery similar to Toffler about the power of words. Stranded in a world of abuse, neglect, and uncertainty, she takes it upon herself to find relief and healing. Angelou argues that when children experience extreme uncertainty and neglect, literature provides a safe and secure refuge.
Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was a writer and civil rights activist best known for her 1969 memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” As a young child Angelou witnessed her parents’ divorce and she and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. While in Arkansas, she constantly experienced racism and discrimination, and she was able to translate the emotions that she felt, into her works. Toni Morrison was on February 14, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. She was a novelist and a Professor at Princeton University. Her novels kept her audience’s attention because of the vivid dialogue and epic themes used in her stories. Some of her best known novels were Beloved, The Bluest Eye, and Song of Solomon. In Morrison’s and Angelou’s novels, they showed similar styles of writing, through the use of racism, symbols, and epic themes.
A myth is a story based on tradition or legend, which has a deep symbolic meaning. A folktale is a popular story that was passed on in spoken form, from one generation to the next. Mythology makes people interested and fascinated with history and literature. Mythology express diversity. Diversity is crucial for people to become more aware of other cultures.
Maya Angelou starts off the poem with “one foot down, then hop! It’s hot/ Good things for the ones that’s got,” (1-2) in an urgent tone to emphasize the pressure and stress they face when things don’t go as planned. African Americans are constantly put in stressful situations when it comes to finances and providing for their family. Since they are always on the move or jumping from place to place (“another jump, now to the left” (3)), they continuously feel as though they need to be cautious towards their next steps and be prepared for any changes such as getting laid off from their job; “Cross the line, they count you out/
All throughout the world people are targeted and alienated against by other people and society as a whole. Sometimes we cannot help and can’t control it, but other times we do it intentionally with malicious intents leaving physical or mental harm to one another. As humans, we feel that different is bad, but that is not always the case. A few out of many ways people can be alienated against is by their race, religion and sadly even gender. One example of ways races can be alienated against is the great role model Maya Angelou who had her fair share of race discrimination in her lifetime.
“Nothing will work unless you do.” "Famous Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. . This quote was one of many of Maya Angelou’s famous quotes. Maya Angelou’s life was full of ups and downs. She became very successful in her early life and career and she is remembered to be an extraordinary poet and writer. Maya Angelou’s poetry gave people something to think about and also something to love. The author’s story begins on April 4th 1928 in St.Louis Missouri where ups and downs filled Maya Angelou’s life and career (Poets.org). Some of Maya Angelou’s poetry work includes “Wouldn't take nothing for my journey’’, “Alone” and “Now Sheba sings the song”. Maya Angelou also wrote multiple books like “Mom & Me & Mom’’, “Letter to my Daughter” and many more (Poets.org). In 1959 Maya Angelou was elected by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to become the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian leadership Conference. When Maya Angelou was well into her career she became the first African American director, producer and screenwriter in Hollywood (Poets.org). Maya Angelou was elected the first “inaugural poet” at the request of President Bill Clinton. This was the first time any poet was requested to
Maya Angelou, creator of such poems as Still I Rise and Phenomenal Woman, stated that the Martin Luther King Jr’s works gave her the inspiration and instruction she needed to become the writer that she is, her work is filled with real life stories that influence the reader. Shane Koyczan’s work,similar to what has been said about Maya Angelou’s work, fills the reader's mind with real life stories of those who have fell into the hands of bullying. His use of vivid, real life examples of people, who he has personally known, gives his audience, those who have personally dealt with bullying and feel as if they are alone, a sense of reassurance. Koyczan’s poem " To This Day" is a story about three people, one being the author himself, another being
It is said that you begin remember things in your life from the time you start talking. Maya Angelou’s quote says “ People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but remember the way you made the feel.” I beg to differ. For me, things done and said has had a direct impact on how a someone made me feel.
The human race is ever so diverse. It is a diverse family, more alike than anyone would have ever thought. Two people who are strong believers in this idea that we are truly one despite our differences are Barack Obama and Maya Angelou. The poem ‘Human Family’ by Maya Angelou and Barack Obama’s speech on race both focus on the point that we are all different, but also very similar.
What characteristics make up a good leader? A few that might come to mind are bravery, being inspirational and helpful, and being able to present and write well enough to captivate an audience. These are the characteristics that made Maya Angelou a good leader.
They way stories are told may morph, but never will storytelling cease. From their people skills to their memories, there is no argument that storytellers possess boundless talent and intelligence. They were the first educators. And now, storytelling is a large part of everyday life. The news in the morning, the gossip throughout the day, the casual response to the casual “What’s up?” – It’s all a form of storytelling. Our lives are steeped in it. In almost every conversation a story is told. At every turn a story is born. So we all are storytellers, and the world is our audience, just waiting to hear the gospel leave our