Maya Angelou: Awaking in New York
I chose to read and analyze Maya Angelou’s Awaking in New York poem because I thoroughly enjoyed the imagery that she used to portray a visual to the reader. The first quote that showed this imagery was the first line of the poem that stated, “Curtain’s forcing their will against the wind.” Not only does this paint a perfect picture in the reader’s head of a city apartment with the curtains flowing through the window, but it also personifies the curtains, acting as if they (an inanimate object) can fight against the wind. In addition, I thought that this was a good way for the author to begin the poem, considering the imagery that it includes and how it creates a setting for the rest of the poem.
The second quote that I pulled from the poem states, “I, an alarm, awake as a rumor of war.” This quote stood out to me for a few reasons, one being because she brought the story to first person by saying “I”. This brought the poem to a more personal level, which is used to draw the audience in. It changes the visual in the reader's head from the city to the person inside the apartment. Secondly, this quote brought a sense of darkness into the story, making the city look not as good as it seems. Because Angelou used the word “war,” it makes it seem as though the individual isn’t excited to get up. This could be because living in the city means you do practically the same routine everyday, which can get exhausting.
Angelou, Maya. Awaking in New York.
The imagery that you point out throughout this poem to help the reader better understand is a great technique that Maya Angelou used. The first quote that you pointed out I could visually see in my head and layed a great foundation for what the poem is all about. When the poem changes from the city to the person inside the apartment the poem seemed to shift to a darker tone. I also loved how you point out that it appears that living in the city means doing the same thing every day and it is a repetitive cycle.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis and depiction of the imagery used in the story is really good. You picked up on some minor details, such as the use of first person and the use of the word war. Your explanations gave me really good insight as to the meaning of certain things in the story. For example, when you talked about the curtain in the wind I was able to make a much better connection to the reference. Additionally, your comparison of "an alarm, awake as a rumor of war" to the busy city routine was an excellent point. All in all, the poems written by Maya Angelou are very unique and provide excellent imagery to tell the story.
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