Maya Angelou’s poem, “Harlem Hopscotch,” portrays the feelings of oppression and injustice experienced by the African American population through a game of hopscotch, as they are forced to succumb to the white supremacist societal structure in America. She utilizes devices, such as imagery and sound, to portray the emotions of people of color after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The speaker, who articulates on behalf of African Americans as a whole, maintains the innocence of a child playing a game by seemingly singing along. The poem’s structure, imagery, and view of society emphasize the message of destabilization and fear that was ingrained into African Americans of the time, and allow the audience to follow the metaphorical game of hopscotch.
…show more content…
The concluding lines, “both feet flat, the game is done they think I lost, I think I won,” (13-14) end the game of hopscotch and somewhat end the African American vs. society trend. Society would take the ‘both feet flat,’ which means the player is out, and claim that the player did not win nor complete the hopscotch. However, to the African American, they think they have won because though they are standing on both two feet on the hot concrete and it burns, they are at least standing on their own terms, and not anyone else’s. They saw past the manipulations and can now stabilize their life.
The structure, imagery, and view of society in Maya Angelou’s, “Harlem Hopscotch,” emphasize the message of destabilization and fear that was ingrained into African Americans of the time, and allow the audience to follow the metaphorical game of hopscotch. The utilization of imagery and language sets a somber tone to get the message across and wake the audience to ever growing prejudices. The allegory and usage of an innocent game of hopscotch reflects the guilty rulings of society that confine African Americans to obey by regulations set in a white
The concluding lines, “both feet flat, the game is done they think I lost, I think I won,” (13-14) end the game of hopscotch and somewhat end the African American vs. society trend. Society would take the ‘both feet flat,’ which means the player is out, and claim that the player did not win nor complete the hopscotch. However, to the African American, they think they have won because though they are standing on both two feet on the hot concrete and it burns, they are at least standing on their own terms, and not anyone else’s. They saw past the manipulations and can now stabilize their life.
The structure, imagery, and view of society in Maya Angelou’s, “Harlem Hopscotch,” emphasize the message of destabilization and fear that was ingrained into African Americans of the time, and allow the audience to follow the metaphorical game of hopscotch. The utilization of imagery and language sets a somber tone to get the message across and wake the audience to ever growing prejudices. The allegory and usage of an innocent game of hopscotch reflects the guilty rulings of society that confine African Americans to obey by regulations set in a white