Woman Work By Maya Angelou Analysis Essay

A person may feel that they can’t escape the exhausting tasks that must be completed by the end of each day. This person may feel that their imagination is the only way of relaxation. The poem, “Woman Work” by Maya Angelou, tells the story of a housewife describing her overwhelming amount of daily chores and inability to keep up and meet unreal expectations. The speaker wants to escape her busy life, yet feels that all she owns is nature. In the poem Angelou uses couplets and imagery to develop a candid tone. Before the shift, Maya Angelou uses couplets to create a candid tone that gives the reader a window into the honest emotions about her life, a life which she would prefer to leave. The series of couplets displays in a very blunt manner that the speaker is very busy. All the reader has to do is read the end of each line, reading each …show more content…
After an exhausting day, the speaker pleads “Rain on me, rain fall softly, dewdrops and cool my brow again” (lines 16-18) due to the fact that she desperately desires a break from the grueling work that consumes her exhausting life. The speaker feels “star shine, moon glow you’re all I call my own”(lines 29-30) as a result of strenuous life she lives. The speaker imagines nature relaxing her as serene escape from her hectic life tasks. The speaker’s honesty is exposed through her idea of using nature as a moment of relaxation before the speaker returns the reality of her overwhelming life. Maya Angelou’s utilization of imagery strongly support the development of a candid tone. In a final analysis, one may feel fatigued by demanding life tasks and long for an escape from reality, using his or her imagination as a type of relaxation. Maya Angelou’s poem, “Woman Work”, exemplifies a candid through personification and couplets. When life becomes overwhelming, take a moment to allow yourself to escape from the realities of everyday