Poet and writer, Maya Angelou, in her non-fiction essay, “Graduation,” narrates gradua-tion day at Lafayette County Training School, a school of primarily African-American children. Changing tones throughout the essay, she goes from a giddy tone in the beginning when prepar-ing for the graduation, to a somber tone when an unexpected speaker comes, then to a vibrant tone in the end of the essay to stir up feelings of pride and motivation in those who may have al-so been discriminated against. Angelou’s effective use of the rhetorical strategies of figurative language, imagery, and tone in her essay instigates feelings of pride in her readers. Angelou’s purpose is to describe her pride of being a part of the Negro race.
The figurative language Angelou uses helps readers understand the context more or relate to the writing. Angelou uses metaphors and similes to describe …show more content…
She describes her school, Lafayette County Training School. The school lacks the fan-cy items and better conditions the white high school has. Instead, the black school lacks a lawn, fence, and courts. Blacks at the time do not receive the same privileges. Angelou describes the all the students’ attitudes for the day; the graduating students do not have to do work, and the boys are more outgoing and kind. She describes everyone’s dresses being “butter-yellow pique” (125); Angelou also describes the smallest detail, such as the raised embroidered daisies on the dress. The tone of the essay changes when she describes the “cold and unfriendly” (128) win-dows. She even depicts sounds, which show the tone of the essay. Her principal’s voice is usual-ly a sound she enjoys, but during the graduation, it “melted and lowed weakly” (129) through the crowd. Angelou’s imagery illustrates the setting, people’s appearances and attitudes throughout the day, and also changes with the shifting tones through the
The figurative language Angelou uses helps readers understand the context more or relate to the writing. Angelou uses metaphors and similes to describe …show more content…
She describes her school, Lafayette County Training School. The school lacks the fan-cy items and better conditions the white high school has. Instead, the black school lacks a lawn, fence, and courts. Blacks at the time do not receive the same privileges. Angelou describes the all the students’ attitudes for the day; the graduating students do not have to do work, and the boys are more outgoing and kind. She describes everyone’s dresses being “butter-yellow pique” (125); Angelou also describes the smallest detail, such as the raised embroidered daisies on the dress. The tone of the essay changes when she describes the “cold and unfriendly” (128) win-dows. She even depicts sounds, which show the tone of the essay. Her principal’s voice is usual-ly a sound she enjoys, but during the graduation, it “melted and lowed weakly” (129) through the crowd. Angelou’s imagery illustrates the setting, people’s appearances and attitudes throughout the day, and also changes with the shifting tones through the