Critical Essays/Book Reviews
This first book review is a review of Mary Angelou's poem "Still I Rise", which was analyzed in the tab above. It also talks about other poems and how Angelou uses the stanzas and certain wordings to leave deep impressions in people. In addition, in the analysis of "Still I Rise", the critic believes that there is a strong feminism appeal to the poem and comes off very strongly.
I happen to agree with what the critic thinks of "Still I Rise". Before reading the review, it had not occurred to me how obviously female the speaker was. It gave me a new perspective as to what the poem could be about. Rather than slavery, it could also be about the oppression of women and how women have been able to rise despite being put down time and time again. Although I feel like that was what Angelou was trying to convey to her readers, I really like that "Still I Rise" and its theme can still be applied to anybody who has been discouraged for any reason, and that itself is very inspiring.
On the other hand, this critical essay analyzes a great collection of Maya Angelou's work and how she puts her own life and beliefs into her poems. They reason that she does so through her choice of words and obvious tone as well as attitude to whatever she is talking about.
Once again, I agree with what the critic thinks of Angelou's writing. Angelou herself fits our definition of a poet perfectly if we applied what we thought was a poem in class a week ago. Our class had come up with definitions of poetry being emotions written into words, people's way of getting their opinions heard, life, dreams, an escape from reality, and so much more. Angelou's poems are exactly that. I think the critic was absolutely right in the fact that major parts of Angelou's life is told in her poems. She expresses her thoughts of freedom and is passionate about it, especially when she herself is black and a woman, both who have fought for the same rights as everybody else in the country.
This final critic of Maya Angelou is about how she puts her personality and energy into her poems. They say she writes with sass, and the rhythm of her poems are always lively and always felt by the reader.
It is no surprise that this review is also one that I agree with. Maya Angelou has a very unique voice, and it's quite easy to tell it apart from other poets. She has a bite with her words and isn't afraid to write what is on her mind. It can be seen in "Still I Rise" where she mocks the people who put her down by saying, "Does my sassiness upset you?/" (Angelou 6) and continues to flaunt what she has. I think it shows her passion and how she really feels about the causes the she supports.