Analysis Of Source Material, Poet, Poem and Other Relevant Background Research

The Source Material, Poet & Poem

Poet: Maya Angelou (1928 - 2014)

Maya Angelou was born on April 28th, 1928, in St, Louis, Missouri USA, with her full name to be Marguerite Annie Johnson (Needhan, C.). Occupation was classed as a writer, actress, activist, autobiographer, singer, dancer, composer, and even became the very first female black film director in Hollywood. Angelou was mainly known for more occupations, as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright, and of course a poet. From working as a civil rights activist, Angelou worked with two other very famous and powerful activists as well, was Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, according to the Poetry Foundation website (Monroe, H.). Angelou herself also worked in the subjects of politics and was on the presentimental committees for the support towards Gerald Ford in 1975 and Jimmy Carter in 1977. Plus in meeting with other politicians, in 2000 Bill Clinton awarded Angelou the National Medal of Arts, and a decade later in 2010, Barack Obama awarded Angelou the Presidental Medal of Freedom award. When it came to Angelou's work in poetry, her themes included Black beauty, the strength of women, and the human spirit. Angelou was an individual who had her differences and disagreements on the Vietnam War, however, her passion and agreements on social justice for all inequality. When it came to her poem "Life Doesn't Frighten Me", in the 1990's Angelou wrote several books with the inclusion of that poem, and the collection of books and poems were aimed at the demographic group of children. Some of the poems were projects from Jean - Michael Basquiat, and this calibration was with a photographer named Maragaret Courtney - Clark. On May 28th in 2014, Maya Angelou died, at the age of 84, and in Winston Salem, North Carolina in the United States. 

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Poem: Life Doesn't Frighten Me 

"Life Doesn't Frighten Me is a simple, repetitive poem that is written from a child's perspective, the speaker going over things in her life that she has to overcome to move on" (Spacey, A.) The poem by Maya Angelou was released back in 1993, working with illustrator Jean - Michael Basquiat, and from Spacey's information on the poem he describes on the visuals by Basquiat and Angelou, his dark and powerful pictures are loved by many, but a minority think them too strong for Angelou's uplifting words. (Spacey, A.). The story of the poem is about a young girl, who overcomes her fears and by repeating the phase-based from the title "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" and by constantly using those words as a reminder and strategy, in comparison to what it is she is trying to not be afraid of. Using examples from the poem is what can be known as fear and aimed at a young child. The conclusion of the story leaves the reader thinking and wondering It is at the end of the poem that one might start to doubt the speaker’s honesty. Perhaps she is hiding a bit of the real fear she has in her heart. (Baldwin, E.) A quote from Angelou herself has a very fascinating, understandable, and even an emotional thought, and I quote "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made then feel". From the information Spacey mentioned, it's a quote from Angelou having an opinion on life in general, however, I do feel it's very relatable in her poem. By being more specific, the words feel relatable to the theme of her poem about fear, pain, and unforgettableness. Life Doesn't Frighten Me is described as a poem, that gives the suggestion that there is always a possibility of always fighting against fear towards us, and it's also a poem that really there is nothing to be afraid of in life and that is from the suggestion of finding that possibility of keeping fighting no matter what. From a second website on an analysis perspective on the poem, a quote describes its tone and mood from Emma Baldwin, "The mood is uplifting and optimistic while the tone is focused and determined". I feel that the quote represents both the tone and the mood, with both a positive and negative atmosphere at the same time. 



Bibliography

1]. Needham, C. (1990) Maya Angelou At:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0029723/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm (Accessed 14/12/20) 

2.] Monroe, H. (2003) Maya Angelou At:https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maya-angelou (Accessed 14/12/20)  

3.] Spacey, A. (2020) Analysis of Poem "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" by Maya Angelou At: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-Life-Doesnt-Frighten-Me-by-Maya-Angelou#:~:text=Life%20Doesn't%20Frighten%20Me%20is%20a%20simple%2C%20repetitive%20poem,to%20overcome%20to%20move%20on.&text=Life%20Doesn't%20Frighten%20Me%20suggests%20that%20there,a%20way%20to%20overcome%20fear. (Accessed 14/12/20)

4.] Baldwin, E. (2020) Analysis of Life Doesn't Frighten Me by Maya Angelou At: https://poemanalysis.com/maya-angelou/life-doesnt-frighten-me/#Summary_of_Life_Doesnt_Frighten_Me (Accessed 14/12/20)