Maya Angelou Alone

Many authors write about the people in their lives; they write about their built relationships, and their fallen ones; authors write of inspirational topics such as freedom, death, heaven, slavery. Like such authors, Maya Angelou does so as well, in poem “Alone” she answers the trivial question of where one's soul resides. Maya Angelou’s poem “Alone” embodies the concept of being discontent, pretense and need. This poem demonstrates that those who lack friendships and love tend to feel lonely and discontent with their lives . Maya Angelou does this through the usages of various literary devices, and ambiguous words and meanings to demonstrate this theme. Angelou’s historical background, careful diction, and meaning of her work “Alone” enables …show more content…
On April 4, 1928, Vivian Baxter Johnson gave birth to a baby girl with the name of Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. According to Biography.com the author adopted the first name “Maya” from her childhood nickname and kept the name “Angelou” after her first marriage with Enistasious Tosh Angelos. Angelou grew up in a poor community, and from a young age experienced many financial and familial difficulties. Unfortunately during Angelou’s developing years her then-stepfather took advantage and abused her in several ways. Consequently after Angelou was raped, her uncles beat the man to death after testifying against the culprit. This unfortunate event caused her to stop speaking for about five years or so. Many readers believe that this five year period of muteness enabled Angelou to mature and become the poet she is today; this time of silence enabled her to ponder on the deeper questions of life as is seen in “Alone” and many other works by her. Unfortunately Angelou’s financial situation did not change much for her, in fact, her fiscal situation forced to the author to move around in search of work, as she moved around she had to work as a dancer, singer, and even as a prostitute in order to pay the bills. Angelou did find some success in San Francisco and became the first African American Women to ever work a …show more content…
One can simply state “You will never make it out here alone,” however, that does not resonate with the person nor does it have the same effect as the poem does. In this free verse poem Angelou further demonstrates the need for a companion in which one shares love with through metaphors and symbolism. “There are some millionaires / With money they can’t use / Their wives run round like banshees / Their children sing the blues / They’ve got expensive doctors/ To cure their hearts of stone. / But nobody / No, nobody /Can make it out here alone.” In these verses Angelou speaks not about physical loneliness, but rather emotional solitude. In the poem the author presents the millionaires with wives, demonstrating that neither are physically lonely. In these verses she also states that they hire doctors to cure their “hearts of stone.” The concept of a stone heart is used a metaphor of someone who has become distant, cold, incapable of affection towards someone or something. Another very interesting metaphor/simile used is when Angelou compares said wives to banshees. Many people often confuse banshees for the primitive creature resembling a monkey, but in reality a banshee is a Irish mythological creature that “heralds the death of a family member, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening.” Angelou gives her audience a further, and deeper understanding of her