Of Those Who Influenced Maya Angelou

Joyce Morris

Professor Salsich

English 101

13 October 2010

Of Those Who Influenced Maya Angelou

From Two Essays

Maya Angelou credits many poets and authors for the direction of her writings.  Mary Jane Lupton who wrote “Mary Jane Lupton on the Poets Who Influenced Maya Angelou”, and Dolly A. Macpherson’s, “Dolly A. McPherson on Angelou’s Use of Comic Irony”, both reference authors who affected Angelou.  Both authors refer to connections Angelou had to authors from her past.  The writers that influenced Angelou came from many different races and backgrounds.

(TS)McPherson, in “Dolly A. McPherson on Angelou’s Use of Comic Irony” feels that Angelou’s “use of comic irony is a effective technique”, and her use of parody shows her love and admiration of black people.  (SD)A way she shows comic irony is in writing about her relationships with people.  (CM)At one time Angelou hires a hairdresser to give her a fancy hairdo.  In turn the hairdresser gives her, what Angelou calls a “pickaninnies” style hairdo.  (CM)Angelou feels the hairstyle was done to her to “teach her a lesson on her foolishness of trying to go native.”  (SD)Angelou’s technique of self parody was something that had not been done previously in black autobiography.  (CM)Angelou uses self parody in her work and it shows her own “youthful silliness, loneliness, pretensions, aspirations and instability.”  (CM)In her adulthood Angelou uses larger than life personalities to parody her younger days and gives the reader a view of herself in doing so.  (SD)McPherson feels that Angelou’s use of parody is not for laughter but to cover her own weakness. (CM)Through her work she is able to reveal painful aspects of her life with humor and irony.  (CM)Angelou’s work has an “empathy for people’s foibles and their efforts to retain some semblance of dignity” as they go through things in daily life that can sometimes be kind of hectic.  (CM)McPherson feels Angelou has a understanding of herself that leads to a kinship with humankind.  (CS)Angelou’s use of comic irony and parody in her works gives the reader a view into herself and what has made her the writer she is. (McPherson et al. 69-71)

(TS)In Lupton’s essay, “Mary Jane Lupton on the Poets who Influenced Maya Angelo” Angelou credits the influence of many different types of authors in her style of work.   (SD) Angelou acknowledges these authors and poets and quotes them in her work.   (CM)Lupton states that Angelou was influenced by black female poets such as Frances Harper and Anne Spencer.  (CM)In addition she was influenced by male poets Edgar Allan Poe and James Weldon Johnson. (SD)Angelou had stated she had “no idea African poets even existed early on.”  (CM)African poets were not published in the United States when she was growing up, as she grew older she was introduced to African and Asian poets.   (CM)Angelou admired Kwesi, and feels she is still influenced by his work. (SD)“As a child Angelou was affected by the ideas and rhythms of lyric poetry.”  (CM)Emily Dickenson’s work had lyrical qualities that Angelou enjoyed.  (CM)In mentioning Dorothy Parker’s work Angelou said they were “funny and wry.”  (SD)Angelou knew and enjoyed the works of Japanese and Chinese poets.   (CM)Her work was influenced by Haiku.  (CM)Angelou was more familiar with Japanese and Chinese work because it was available to her.  (CS)Throughout her life Maya Angelou drew from the styles of African, Asian, Japanese and Asian writers and brought it in to her own work.  (Lupton 30-31)

In Dolly A. McPherson’s “Dolly A. McPherson on Angelou’s Use of Comic Irony” and Mary Jane Lupton’s “Mary Jane Lupton on the Poets Who Influenced Maya Angelou” both authors state many poets and authors who influenced Maya Angelou.  The many facets of Maya Angelou’s style from irony to lyric form are directly drawn from poets and authors that Angelou admired.   Angelou had a love and admiration for many authors works and she honors them by imitating and quoting them in her own work.  Angelou’s works show part of herself to the reader and documents both her flaws and her accomplishments in her work, showing the reader what has made her who she is.

Works Cited

Lupton, Mary Jane, and Harold Bloom.  “Mary Jane Lupton on the Poets Who Influenced Maya Angelou”

                Bloom’s Major Poets: Maya Angelou (2001): 30-31.  InfoBase Publishing.

EBSCOhost.  Three Rivers Community College Library.  20 September 2010

<http://search.ebscohost.com/>.

McPherson, Dolly A.  “Dolly A. McPherson on Angelou’s Use of Comic Irony.”

Bloom’s Guides: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (2004): 69-71. InfoBase Publishing.  EBSCOhost.  Three Rivers Community College Library.  20 September 2010

<http://search.ebscohost.com/>.

To Conform or Not Conform - Three Adapting Situations Final

Joyce Morris

English 101

Professor Salsich

10/13/10

Right or wrong, the pressure to conform is always an issue in society.  In the fictional account “Life Size” by Jenefer Shute the anorexic patient is told she must eat even if it is against her will.  In Eric Schlosser’s “What We Eat” and Nora Ephron’s “The Boston Photographs”, each share their views on society adapting to situations.  There are two sides to any issue and, Shute, Schlosser and Ephron offer their views for discussion.

Shute’s “Life Size” tells a fictional story about an anorexic college student named Josie who is hospitalized against her will.  It is expected that Josie obey the doctors and nurses and eat to gain weight.  Josie feels she has the right to starve herself.  Josie says, she never feels hungry, and despises those who do feel hunger.  She feels those who hunger spend their lives foraging and never learn to ignore hunger.  Josie feels “each gain against hunger makes her stronger,” as she struggles with her body’s need to conform and eat food.  By refusing to eat Josie trains her body to exist on nothing.  By doing so, Josie is convinced that “one day I will be thin enough.”  Josie feels those people threatening her crusade are willing her to weaken.  “What choice do I have, powerless as a child […] right to determine what does and does not go into my body?” Angry and humiliated Josie’s internal struggle continues as she lay in bed trapped and lost between the pages of a Vogue magazine.

In “What We Eat” by Schlosser society’s feelings and beliefs guide compliance of the food industry.  Once spread out and few, fast food businesses are now abundant.  Over the last 30 years the wants of customers have driven the popularity of the fast food industry.  According to statistics Americans spend more money on fast food than on higher education, computers and other household purchases.  This trend to spend has compelled the food industry to build rapidly. More women in the workforce are a fundamental change in society that has led to the boom of the fast food industry.  Due to conflicting schedules and time constraints, families spend more money eating outside of the home.  Faced with less time to do the traditional housewife duties families spent more money on eating outside of the home than preparing the food themselves at home.  The demand for fast food and the lifestyles of Americans wanting to purchase food made outside the home has also increased the job opportunities in food service.  “An estimated one out of every eight workers in the United States has at some point been employed by McDonalds.”  Since there are so many franchises, the wages that are paid are minimal.  Chain stores “rely upon a low paid and unskilled workforce.”  Workers are willing to agree to low wages because of the abundance of jobs.  Employees tend to stay in their positions for shortened periods of time because they feel they can get a job elsewhere.  Corporations who want to succeed comply with the population’s wants of fast food so that they can continue to grow.  The consumer complies with industry’s service and wages out of necessity to keep up with their accelerated lifestyles.

 “The Boston Photographs” by Ephron brings up the discussion of conforming to what society feels is the right way to handle news involving sensitive issues such as accidents and death.  As a past New York Post reporter and then columnist and editor for Esquire Magazine, Ephron feels that there is no story that shouldn’t be told by photographs.  It is yielding to society to anticipate a reader’s reaction to photos of death.  “The fact that the photo was taken a millisecond before the young woman died” could have decided whether or not the photo was published.  People’s responses would have been different if the woman lived.  Ephron feels that newspapers are irresponsible and inaccurate if they don’t publish photos because of a potential reaction by their readers.  Death will always come, as it is part of life and people should be able to hear of the stories that go with it.  To comply with the views of some and keep the truth away from the whole is inaccurate.  “Photojournalism is often more powerful than written journalism” because a photo can speak a thousand words, which can be interpreted by the viewer.  Photos document something that happened in the accurate way.  Newspapers and reporters should not be pressured to conform to the views put upon them by readers and viewers.

In their essays, each author illustrates situations involving compliance.  Shute’s fictional essay tells of a young girl pressured by the medical staff, her own conscience and a magazine’s image to comply with “what is the expected way to be.” In “What We Eat”, Schlosser, discusses the direct correlation of the boom of the fast food industry and the changing needs of the working family.  Ephron’s “The Boston Photographs” examines the freedom of press and what and how much the public is entitled and or needs to see and know about real life stories.  To comply, or not, is the question.  What is wrong and what is right?  The pressure to conform is always an issue in society.

To Conform or Not Conform - Three Adapting Situations

Joyce Morris

English 101

Professor Salsich

10/6/10

To Conform or Not Conform

Three Adapting Situations

Right or wrong the pressure to conform is always an issue in society.  In the fictional account “Life Size” by Jenefer Shute the anorexic patient is told she must eat even if it is against her will.  Eric Schlosser in “What We Eat” and Nora Ephron with “The Boston Photographs” each share with us their views on society adapting to situations.  On any issue there are two sides to be told, Shute, Schlosser and Ephron each give us their view of one side to discuss.

Shute in “Life Size” tells us a fictional story in which Josie, an anorexic college student who is hospitalized against her will.  It is expected that Josie obey the doctors and nurses and eat to gain weight.  Josie feels she has the right to starve herself if she wants to.  Josie says, she never feels hungry, and despises those who do feel hunger.  She feels they spend their lives foraging and never learned to ignore hunger like she did.  “Each gain against hunger makes her stronger,” Josie struggles with her bodies need to conform and eat food.  In the refusal to eat she is training her body to exist on nothing.  By doing so, Josie feels that “one day I will be thin enough.”  The support that people are giving her is viewed as them willing her to weaken.  “What choice do I have, powerless as a child […] right to determine what does and does not go into my body?”  Josie’s internal struggle continues as she lays in bed angry and humiliated face to face with a Vogue magazine.

In “What We Eat” by Schlosser society’s feelings and beliefs guide compliance of the food industry.  Once spread out and few, now there is an abundance of fast food businesses.  Over the last 30 years the wants of customers have driven the popularity of the fast food industry.  Americans spend more money on fast food than on higher education, computers and other household purchases.  This trend to spend has compelled the food industry to build rapidly.  A fundamental change in society that has led to the fast food industry growing is when women entered the workforce.  Faced with less time to do the traditional housewife duties families spent more money on eating outside of the home than preparing the food themselves at home.  “An estimated one out of every eight workers in the United States has at some point been employed by McDonalds.”  The demand for fast food and the lifestyles of Americans wanting to purchase food made outside the home has also increased the job opportunities in food service.  Since there is now so many franchises the wages that are paid are minimal.  Chain stores “rely upon a low paid and unskilled workforce.”  Workers are willing to agree to low wages because of the abundance of jobs.  Employees tend to stay in their positions shorted periods of time because they feel they can get a job elsewhere.  Corporations who want to succeed comply with the populations wants of fast food so that they can continue to grow.  The consumer complies with industry’s service and wages out of necessity to keep up with the speed of their lifestyles.

 “The Boston Photographs” by Ephron brings up the discussion of conforming to what society feels is the right way to handle news involving stories that have sensitive issues such as accidents and death.  As a past New York Post reporter, and then columnist and editor for Esquire magazine Ephron feels that there is no story that shouldn’t be told by photographs.  It is yielding to society to anticipate a reader’s reaction to photos of death.  The “fact that the photo was taken a millisecond before the young woman died” could have decided whether or not the photo was published.  People’s responses would have been different if the woman lived.  Ephron feels that newspapers are irresponsible and inaccurate if they don’t publish photos because of a potential reaction by their readers.  Death will always come, it is part of life and people should be able to hear of the stories that go with it.  To comply with the views of some and keep the truth away from the whole is not accurate.  “Photojournalism is often more powerful than written journalism” and a photo can speak a thousand words, and to be interpreted by the viewer.  Photos document something that happened in the accurate way.  Newspapers and reporters should not be pressured to conform to the views put upon them by readers and viewers.

In the three essays each author shows how situations come about where the need to comply is shown.  Shute’s fictional essay tells of a young girl pressured not only by the medical staff but also her own conscious to comply with what is the expected way to be.  Her struggle furthered by printed magazine reinforcements of her failure.  Schlosser, in “What We Eat” brings up the food industries challenge of meeting the public’s demand of compliance to their lifestyle, as well as the consumer adjusting their needs to their lifestyles.  Ephron’s “The Boston Photographs” reveals the problem of what and how much the public is entitled to know about real life stories.  Society wanting the press to filter and adjust stories and what is shown to the public.  To comply or not is the question, what is wrong and what is right?  It is a topic with two sides and arguments to persuade one to comply.

Final - Paper 1

Joyce Morris

English 101

Professor Salsich

9/11/10

The Deserved Right

The Rights for Dignity Shown in Three Essays

There are many examples of situations in life where a person or groups of persons are stripped of dignity in their lives. When a right often taken for granted and expected, is taken away by circumstances it can show us the darker side of human beings. Dignity, a right all humans are born into this world with, is unjustly taken away because of the views of others.  Maxine Hong Kingston, Cornel West, and Kofi Annan show us how humans have been denied distinction in three essays.

Kingston’s “No Name Woman” is a prime example of human distinction gone awry. Forced to comply, a demand from a man, "the aunt" obeyed, as a woman of that time was expected to do. A woman, a daughter, a sister, is condemned for her actions. “The village had also been counting”, they were aware of her mistake.  She is made insignificant by a village of town folk, who take it upon themselves to be judge, jury and executioner. Her stateliness is further stripped from the aunt by her own brother denying she ever existed. “Don’t tell anyone you had an aunt”, the writer in her silence furthers her aunt’s punishment. A young girl, blooming into womanhood is warned of her aunt’s fate.  Her aunt’s life story only stands as an example of what shouldn’t be done by a young woman. Any bearing the aunt has on the niece’s life is done without name, her name never spoken in the fifty years since her death.  Dignity stills eludes the dead aunt. Her story any time told still takes from her being.

West addresses the right of dignity in “The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society”.  Our history has been a tradition of struggle for decency and dignity, freedom and democracy.  West has the view that blacks are seen as less dignified than other races.  “Blacks are seen as problem people, rather than people with problems.”  Grouped by their appearance and intelligence, they lose their dignity and become interchangeable.  The top twenty percent of people share the financial wealth in the world. Eighty percent of the people are stagnating and have declining wages.  “We are all in the same boat, on the same turbulent sea.”   West feels we are in a society that doesn’t respect each other enough to listen to each other.  To give people their own distinction, we need to have empathy for each other.  Society needs to recognize and do something to make change to wrong situations.  Democracy is also about “giving each person a dignified voice in the decision-making process. West does not feel optimistic about America or the globe as a whole.  He has not seen enough change to think things will improve.  The democratic tradition, West feels, is a “prisoner of hope.”

In “Nobel Lecture” Annan shows human distinction on a more global level.  Annan says, “No one can claim ignorance of the cost that this divide imposes on the poor and dispossessed”.   In the twentieth century, countries are so powerful but still suffer with poverty, ignorance and disease.  All people are deserving of dignity and the fundamental rights of freedom, food and education.  West feels a possible route to provide dignity to all is through the United Nations.  The borders that divide people between the powerful and powerless, the free and fettered, and the privileged and humiliated need to be erased to start a change to bring stateliness to all people.  Priorities of the United Nations are to eradicate poverty, prevent conflict and promote democracy.  For any mix of race, religion or sex to solve these problems would possibly bring distinction to all people.  The theory that “there is a growing understanding that human diversity is both the reality that makes dialogue necessary and the very basis for that dialogue” is the thought that runs Annan’s theory.  The mix of people in the world makes it a necessity that we get along and respect each other.  Peace should belong to all people and be part of our daily existence.

A common theme of human dignity is heard in the three essays.  Kingston tells of the Chinese woman who is stripped of her own stateliness and life because of her life choices.  Her life decisions were made for her by others.  West feels the flawed democratic society may be corrected over time.  Hopefully change will be brought on by people wanting dignity for all peoples.  The Nobel lecture, told by Annan should be heard so that dialogue can happen to recognize and solve the situations that lead to losing one’s own distinction.  Unfortunately the problem of losing bearing on one’s existence is felt worldwide and will continue for some time.  The authors’ works display the lost right of dignity in diverse situations.

The Deserved Right

Joyce Morris
English 101

Professor Salsich

9/11/10

The Deserved Right
The Rights for Dignity Shown in Three Essays
There are many examples of situations in life where a person or group of persons, are stripped of dignity in their lives. A right often taken for granted and expected, when taken away by circumstances can show us the darker side of human beings. Dignity, a right all humans are born into this world with, is unjustly taken away because of the views of others. Maxine Hong Kingston, Cornell West, and Kofi Annan show us how humans have been denied distinction in three essays.

Kingston’s, “No Name Woman” is a prime example of human distinction gone awry. Forced to comply, a demand from a man, "the aunt" obeyed, as a woman of that time was expected to do. A woman, a daughter, a sister, is condemned for her actions. She is made insignificant by a village of town folk, who take it upon themselves to be judge, jury and executioner. Her stateliness is further stripped from the aunt by her own brother denying she ever existed. “Don’t tell anyone you had an aunt”, the writer in her silence furthers her aunt’s punishment. A young girl, blooming into womanhood is warned of her aunt’s fate. Her aunt’s life story only stands as an example of what shouldn’t be done by a young woman. Any bearing the aunt has on the niece’s life is done without name, her name never spoken in the fifty years since her death. Dignity stills eludes the dead aunt. Her story any time told still takes from her being.

West, addresses the right of dignity in “The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society”. Our history has been a tradition of struggle for decency and dignity, freedom and democracy. West, has the view that blacks are seen as less dignified than other races. Blacks are seen as problem people, rather than people with problems. Grouped by their appearance, and intelligence, they lose their dignity, and become interchangeable. The top twenty percent of people share the financial wealth in the world. Eighty percent of the people are stagnating and have declining wages. “We are all in the same boat, on the same turbulent sea.” West feels we are in a society that doesn’t respect each other enough to listen to each other. To give people their own distinction, we need to have empathy for each other. Recognize and do something to make change of wrong situations. Democracy is also about “giving each person a dignified voice in the decision-making process. West does not feel optimistic about America, or the globe as a whole. He has not seen enough change, to think things will improve. The democratic tradition, West feels is a “prisoner of hope.”

Annan, in “Nobel Lecture” shows human distinction on a more global level. Annan says, “No one can claim ignorance of the cost that this divide imposes on the poor and dispossessed”. In the twentieth century, countries are so powerful but still suffer with poverty, ignorance and disease. All people are deserving of dignity and the fundamental rights of freedom, food and education. West feels a possible route to provide dignity to all is through the United Nations. The borders that divide people, between the powerful and powerless, the free and fettered, the privileged and humiliated need to be erased to start a change to bring stateliness to all people. The United Nations priorities are to eradicate poverty, prevent conflict and promote democracy. For any mix of race, religion or sex to solve these problems would possibly bring distinction to all people. The theory “there is a growing understanding that human diversity is both the reality that makes dialogue necessary, and the very basis for that dialogue”, is the thought that runs Annan’s theory. The mix of people in the world makes it a necessity that we get along and respect each other. Peace should belong to all people and be part of our daily existence.

In the three essays that I have commented on, a common theme of human dignity is heard. The Chinese woman who is stripped of her own stateliness and life because of her life choices. Her life decisions were made for her by others. The democratic society, with its own flaws, that may only to be corrected over time. Change hopefully to be brought on by people wanting dignity for all peoples. The Nobel lecture, that hopefully will be heard so that dialogue can happen to recognize and solve the situations that lead to losing one’s own distinction. The problem of losing bearing on one’s existence is felt the world wide, and unfortunately will continue for some time. The authors work displays the lost right of dignity in diverse situations.