Maya Angelou once said, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” In her poem called “Alone”, she gives an extended example of a reason as to why some people are unable to thrive in life and why others do. “Alone” is about the fact that no one can survive in this rough, cruel world alone, and Maya Angelou depicts this through mood, figurative language, and symbolism.
First of all, stanza one of “Alone” starts off with a mood of isolation and loneliness because it paints a picture of someone soul-searching for an answer to their problems, which they think they may have found: people need each other to make it through life. The author, Maya Angelou, …show more content…
The second main stanza of “Alone” uses a couple examples of figurative language to get the point across that no one can be truly happy with just money. One needs a sturdy foundation of friends and family to ever be able to be truly happy. The first example of figurative language in the second main stanza is in line sixteen when it says, “Their wives run round like banshees” (Angelou 16). This is a simile that is meant to help illustrate how millionaire’s families act and operate on a daily basis. It is saying that millionaire’s wives run around and do whatever they want because they do not feel satisfied with the material items and money that they already have. In the end, this simile boils down to the main point of this stanza suggesting that millionaire’s wives will never be truly happy until they stop focusing on money and materialism and turn to focusing on filling their lives with good, legitimate people who care about relationships over money and materialism. In addition to a simile, the second main stanza of the poem has a metaphor in it that reads, “To cure their hearts of stone” (Angelou 19). This metaphor is saying that millionaires who have too much money to use for themselves and their families have cold, hard hearts that are incapable of feeling as much …show more content…
The third main stanza of “Alone” relies mostly on symbolism to get the main point of this stanza in one’s head. Lines 28 through 31 are all examples of symbolism. Line 28 says, “Storm clouds are gathering” (Angelou 28). The storm clouds gathering in this line symbolize that the problem of being unable to make it through life alone is getting worse day by day and that it will continue to worsen until people begin to understand that they cannot make it through life alone. In addition to line 28, line 29 states that “The wind is gonna blow” (Angelou 29). This symbolizes that this problem is not going to resolve anytime soon and that it is not going to get any easier for the race and man until they change their mindsets to not feel the need to go through life alone. Lines 30 and 31 capitalize on lines 28 and 29 and say that “The race of man is suffering/And I can hear the moan” (Angelou 30-31). These lines both symbolize that the speaker can see this problem tearing mankind apart more and more as life goes on. Overall, the symbolism in the third main stanza of “Alone” supports the theme that nobody can make it through life alone by describing just how devastating this problem is to mankind and how hard but easy at the same time it is to fix
First of all, stanza one of “Alone” starts off with a mood of isolation and loneliness because it paints a picture of someone soul-searching for an answer to their problems, which they think they may have found: people need each other to make it through life. The author, Maya Angelou, …show more content…
The second main stanza of “Alone” uses a couple examples of figurative language to get the point across that no one can be truly happy with just money. One needs a sturdy foundation of friends and family to ever be able to be truly happy. The first example of figurative language in the second main stanza is in line sixteen when it says, “Their wives run round like banshees” (Angelou 16). This is a simile that is meant to help illustrate how millionaire’s families act and operate on a daily basis. It is saying that millionaire’s wives run around and do whatever they want because they do not feel satisfied with the material items and money that they already have. In the end, this simile boils down to the main point of this stanza suggesting that millionaire’s wives will never be truly happy until they stop focusing on money and materialism and turn to focusing on filling their lives with good, legitimate people who care about relationships over money and materialism. In addition to a simile, the second main stanza of the poem has a metaphor in it that reads, “To cure their hearts of stone” (Angelou 19). This metaphor is saying that millionaires who have too much money to use for themselves and their families have cold, hard hearts that are incapable of feeling as much …show more content…
The third main stanza of “Alone” relies mostly on symbolism to get the main point of this stanza in one’s head. Lines 28 through 31 are all examples of symbolism. Line 28 says, “Storm clouds are gathering” (Angelou 28). The storm clouds gathering in this line symbolize that the problem of being unable to make it through life alone is getting worse day by day and that it will continue to worsen until people begin to understand that they cannot make it through life alone. In addition to line 28, line 29 states that “The wind is gonna blow” (Angelou 29). This symbolizes that this problem is not going to resolve anytime soon and that it is not going to get any easier for the race and man until they change their mindsets to not feel the need to go through life alone. Lines 30 and 31 capitalize on lines 28 and 29 and say that “The race of man is suffering/And I can hear the moan” (Angelou 30-31). These lines both symbolize that the speaker can see this problem tearing mankind apart more and more as life goes on. Overall, the symbolism in the third main stanza of “Alone” supports the theme that nobody can make it through life alone by describing just how devastating this problem is to mankind and how hard but easy at the same time it is to fix