Theme of Racism in Maya Angelou's Poems Essay Example

Racial oppression in the United States has run rampant throughout history, however people like Maya Angelou use their strong voices to scream freedom in the face of racism. Despite growing up in a household where Maya Angelou was repeatedly abused, Maya grew up as a strong woman advocating for change in America. Maya even wrote a poem about the presidential inauguration titled “On the pulse of the Morning.” A poem still talked about to this day because of its message portrayed, “On the Pulse of Morning” was a big hit at the time. Shortly following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Maya’s poems “Caged Bird” and “Still I Rise” led many men and women to feel like they meant something in a system that wanted nothing to do with them. Regarded today as a role model for many, Maya Angelou consistently advocated for racial freedom and justice throughout her poems, especially in poems “Still I Rise”, “Caged Bird”, and “On the Pulse of the Morning”. 

“Still I rise” written very shortly after the civil rights act expresses an unwavering defiance to racism and oppression. “You may write me down in history, with your bitter and twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt, but still like dust I rise” (Angelou, 1-4). The threat of losing is very real in this civil rights “war”, and as they say, the winner writes history. But despite this threat and being marked down as a villain, the speaker will still rise against this oppression unafraid. “Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise, into daybreak that’s wonderfously clear I rise” (Angelou, 35-38). This sentence conveys the idea that the speaker will rise from the fear of being oppressed or the terror cast by the oppression. They shall rise against it into better, wonderful days. “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream, the hope of the slave” (Angelou 39-40). This line connects all the pieces and establishes the fact that this is about racism. After relating it to slavery, it is clear that Maya Angelou is trying to accomplish what many slaves dreamed of to be free. “Still I rise” is still regarded today as an instrumental and great poem in changing America’s deep racism. 

“Caged Bird” relates to how badly people without freedom want it, and how people with freedom take it for granted. “His wings are clipped, his feet are tied, so he opens his mouth to sing (Angelou, 29-30). The bird represents people without freedom, as. Despite being trapped to the point of being unable to move, the bird finds a way to express itself. This is meant to express that no matter how much you tie someone down, they will do everything in their power to be free. “The free bird thinks of another breeze…. And the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn” (Angelou, 23…25). Free people do not think of everything they are given, but only how they can abuse the freedom they are given. The free bird in this line is expressing that, it only thinks of more food and breezes. “But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams” (Angelou, 27). The caged bird standing on a “grave of dreams” means that because the bird is caged, it will never accomplish its hopes and dreams. While people with freedom can pursue their dreams at any time, people without freedom have no shot at all to pursue their dreams. Not everyone is born equal, and that is a huge issue addressed in this poem. 

“On the Pulse of Morning” is a poem about how the individual must make a change, and can use the speaker as a stepping stone but must also do it for themselves. It is following a presidential inauguration and is a call to action for everybody to work together making a change for the better. “You, created only a little lower than the angels, have crouched too long, have lain too long” (Angelou 14-17). The person the speaker is addressing in this is the reader. In these lines, the reader is portrayed in a crouched position, almost as if ready to strike. The speaker is portraying that the time has come to make changes because change has waited too long. “Come, you may stand upon my back and face a distant destiny” (Angelou,  9-10). The speaker is calling to action the reader. The speaker is saying “Come, let's work together to create a better future.” That is what this entire poem ends up being centralized around. A call to work for the better. “You may stand upon me, but do not hide your face” (Angelou, 22-23). These lines are crucial because the speaker is saying you may help me and use me as the first step, but you may not just remain behind me. The reader must also face adversity, and stand up for themselves and others. To not just blindly say support it, then not do anything. This poem was key in opening people’s eyes to how much they could truly do compared to what they were already doing. 

Maya Angelou died 8 years ago, but she did not live a life that wasn’t plenty full of inspiration. Whether it was her poems, quotes, or books, she always spoke out for other people and against racism. The poems talked about in this essay are some of her most famous. These poems to me represent who she was and the life she lived. “Caged Bird” represented how she would never be able to reach her full potential, but she did everything in her power to go as far as she could. “Still I Rise” is her bravery throughout her standing up against racism. Even though she was abused from an early age she always rose to the occasion. Finally “On the Pulse of Morning” represented how she would influence others. She called others to stand with her against the inspiration and found ways to touch people in every way. In conclusion, these poems are related to each other in the common theme of racism, but each gives a unique perspective from a different standpoint. 

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48990/on-the-pulse-of-morning

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48989/caged-bird

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise.