...stairs to this loud, crowded, messy house, where tonight’s ‘phat’ party is being held. I take in the horrible smell of burning tobacco floating through the air being produced by young adolescents who have their 12oz. in one hand, and their Marlboro burning in the other. Black lungs, lung cancer, and that terrible smokers cough is all I can think of as I walk past these kids to one of my high school buddies who enjoys getting his pack-a-day of nicotine, tar filled cancer sticks. Is their really such thing as a light cigarette? I hold these thoughts to myself, and continue to chitchat with my buddy for the five minutes or so it takes him to finish his ‘cig’ about random, immature, and funny topics that he will probably forget about in the next 30 minutes. I carry on with my night by taking a few short steps into the crowded party house. Waka Flocka Flames “No Hands” is blaring through the air, people dancing, laughing, talking, and flirting while drinking their 12oz. cans. Standing to my left is at first glance a very attractive young woman, at second glance is a college student whose face is peeling due to the excessive amount of makeup covering her entire face. She is already starting to talk like she is a forty year smoker. I just saw her outside with a full 12oz. that she was rapidly finishing in order to get herself to as many of us young people would put it, “On Her Level”. I keep walking and feel my feet sticking to the floor with every step from the spilled 12oz...
Words: 818 - Pages: 4
...Are scientist sure there is water on Mars? 2.I don't know if I can help him,but I'll definitely try. 3.They say that the best things in life are free! 4 After we eat lunch, we're going to work on the chemistry project. 5.The test includes;reading,vocabulary,and grammar sections. 6.Bruce went running down the street, the huge rat was too much for him! B. correct the punctuation mistakes and add punctuation when necessary. 1.To get to Burlington ,you have to drive to the train station,take the train,and get a taxi. 2. Do you know where Maggie put the envelopes? 3.We need to print 200 newsletters this week—even more than last week! 4.Wow! 5.Randy looked at the ground, and sighed,it was all he could do. 6.The Train leaves in an hour;but you need to buy the tickets first! Write a letter to a friend about a movie you have seen or a book you have recently read. Dear Lindsay, I just read The hunger Games and Catching Fire, I cant believe I did it !They are so amazing,and good .I honestly recommend them to you; you like things like that action , horror, sci-fi and futuristic books .So I wonder why haven't recommended them to you before? Katniss is my new hero, Because even tho she got into trouble—didn’t expect to become such a role model in all of the district to cause that massive rebellion. This is some of the reasons why you should read them : They are a action packed intense ride, leaves you to wonder why do they do what they do, they have so much suspense...
Words: 320 - Pages: 2
...the moon. Her face and arms began to swell and Whitey's on the moon. I can't pay no doctor bills but Whitey's on the moon. Ten years from now I'll be payin' still while Whitey's on the moon. The man just upped my rent last night cuz Whitey's on the moon. No hot water, no toilets, no lights but Whitey's on the moon. I wonder why he's uppin me. Cuz Whitey's on the moon? I was already givin' him fifty a week but now Whitey's on the moon. Taxes takin' my whole damn check, The junkies makin' me a nervous wreck, The price of food is goin' up, And as if all that shit wasn't enough: A rat done bit my sister Nell with Whitey on the moon. Her face and arms began to swell but Whitey's on the moon. Was all that money I made last year for Whitey on the moon? How come there ain't no money here? Hmm! Whitey's on the moon. Ya know, I just about had my fill of Whitey on the moon. I think I'll send these doctor bills airmail special.... to Whitey on the moon. By GIL-SCOTT HERON A rat done bit my sister Nell with Whitey on the moon. Her face and arms began to swell and Whitey's on the moon. I can't pay no doctor bills but Whitey's on the moon. Ten years from now I'll be payin' still while Whitey's on the moon. The man just upped my rent last night cuz Whitey's on the moon. No hot water, no toilets, no lights but Whitey's on the moon. I wonder why he's uppin me. Cuz Whitey's on the moon? I was already givin' him fifty a week but now Whitey's on the moon. Taxes...
Words: 664 - Pages: 3
...The Dave Matthews Band When I think of The Dave Matthews Band, I also think of their jazzy pop rock music that has helped them become a musical sensation. The band consists of jazz and classical musicians and of course, Dave Matthews. Their music and songs are very unique and have not been heard before the band came about. They have touched millions of people’s hearts, especially mine. The fact that they sing about real situations and real issues that are going on the world today is what makes them my favorite band. Whether I am happy, sad, or mad, The Dave Matthews Band’s album “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King” always lifts my spirits and puts me in a better mood; their songs are inspirational. One of the songs that touch me the most is called “Funny the Way It Is”. This song is about the good and bad things going on in the world. The point being made is that even though many wonderful things are happening, bad things are occurring at the exact same time. “Funny the way it is, if you think about it/ One kid walks 10 miles to school, another's dropping out/ Funny the way it is, not right or wrong/ On a soldier's last breath, his baby's being born/ Funny the way it is, not right or wrong/ Somebody's broken heart become your favorite song/ Funny the way it is, if you think about it/ One kid walks 10 miles to school, another's dropping out” Not only does it discuss the fine times and poor times in life, but also how people take the privileges they have for granted. While kids...
Words: 803 - Pages: 4
...Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, but she also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community, and culture (Angelou, 2012). Growing up in Stamps, AK, Angelou learned what it was like to be a black girl in a world whose boundaries were set by whites (Longly, 2013). As a child, she always dreamed of waking to find her "nappy black hair" metamorphosed to a long blond bob because she felt life was better for a white girl than for a black girl (Franks, n.d.). Despite the odds, her grandmother instilled pride in Angelou with religion as an important element in their home. Maya Angelou contributed to black history by publicizing the discrimination of her people (Franks, n.d.). I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, prevails in moments wheremetaphors correspond perfectly to the emotions of Maya Angelou's relationship with Annie Henderson, her grandmother. It is distinctly exemplified when three white girls perform a handstand pantyless in front of Momma Henderson revealing their power of white sexuality in...
Words: 2403 - Pages: 10
...Why did I get Married, the Tyler Perry film starring Tasha Smith, Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Jill Scott, and Tyler Perry himself is the story about the struggle married couples to remain faithful to one another, while focusing on achieving their goals. Each couple participates in a Mountain retreat that takes place in Colorado Mountains in order to focus on the nature of their marriage, reflect on their love for one another. This provided a break from career, daily routine, to reflect on the state of their marriage, while resolving existing issues, dealing with conflict, while maintaining their love for each other. This movie is a contemporary view of African American lifestyles, culture, and life’s issues. Contemporary viewing in African American media is the direct result of how African Americans have worked hard, to overcome past struggles thus changing culture, ideals, beliefs, creating a new way for future generations. This movie can be seen from a variety of areas, such as education level and socioeconomic class conflict. This can also be seen from the gender perspective, as a rival between female behaviour in a relationship, and male behaviour in a relationship. Class, and education can be further analyzed into the lifestyle that is influenced by it, creating new concerns; hence the marriage problems that differ within education and economic class levels. While numerous other theories; sociological, semiotics, Marxist and others can be employed to analyze this film; I...
Words: 358 - Pages: 2
...As: Author of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Name at birth: Marguerite Johnson Maya Angelou's 1969 autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, was nominated for a National Book Award and made her a symbol of pluck and pride for African-American women. In the 1950s Angelou had been a dancer and stage actress, and she was active in the civil rights movement (she became a coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, thanks to a request from Martin Luther King, Jr.). During the 1960s she spent five years in Africa, working as a journalist and a teacher. Angelou returned to the United States and in 1969 published I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. In 1972 she was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie. Since then, Angelou has continued teaching, writing, acting, producing, recording (she won Grammy Awards for the spoken word for the years 1993, 1995 and 2002) and collecting honorary degrees from across the United States. Since 1981 she has been the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. At Bill Clinton's request, Angelou wrote a poem -- On the Pulse of Morning -- for his 1993 inauguration as U.S. president. I chose one of Maya Angelou (Phenomenal Woman) for two reasons. One I feel that Maya is still one of the best poets in the world whose poems are studied in the universities around the world. Nothing can be taken from her. I love her so much...
Words: 997 - Pages: 4
...not have enough love from her caregivers, as a child. At eight years old, she was raped. That event caused her to remain silent for five years; following the murder of her accused rapist. His death caused her to believe that her speaking her accusers' name caused his death. Marguerite Johnson was befriended by the kindness and generosity of a family friend, and the discovery of authors and poets helped her regain her voice. The adults in Maya Angelou's life were unstable, to say the least. Her father (being tall and handsome), was a womanizer. Her mother (being a beautiful woman), had have any man she wanted; considering she had several male acquaintances. Her paternal grandmother had also been married three times. It's no wonder why she had trouble maturing into an adult; due to the lack of stable role models and the continuously varying environment. She even had a moment when she was homeless for a month at the age of fifteen. During this time, she lived among other children of different ethnicity; that were going through...
Words: 1252 - Pages: 6
...Name of Institution Analysis of Two Poems by Maya Angelou Name of Student Course Name and Number Name of Professor Paper Due Date In Maya Angelou’s poem “They Went Home”, the persona has her reference on married men whom think of her as a friend and nothing more. Not a woman to them but a girl (Zefferino). However, they have a high perception of her personality but don’t have feelings for her like she does for them. “I had an air of mystery”. The men referenced had the persona think that the relationship that they had could turn out to be more than it seemed to be. They think of her as kind, clean and humorous. Despite this they don’t want to be in a relationship with her. The men that the poet references in the poem liked the persona because of her physical attributes and wanted to get involved with her physically, sexually. They wanted a physical relationship (Zefferino). “They liked my smile, my wit, my hips”. The attributes in this line specify in order the number of men that the persona desired, three men. The imagery keys the picture of a woman that receives the kind of love that she thinks she ought to be given. The persona is insecure and has a low self-pride because of the rejection that she faces. Men want to lay with her but do not want to stay with her because they all return to their wives. The last sentence of the first two stanzas, shows that the persona is willing and expecting to be used sexually by men that she...
Words: 1211 - Pages: 5
...Sarah Liette Coach 6-8-2015 Maya Angelou “Graduation” Summary Graduation Graduation is an important transition time in every person’s life. It is about moving on to something better and more important and to use your knowledge to achieve life goals. This is what the children attending the grammar school believed as well, including Maya Angelou. Given from her point of view, the story Graduation has ethos because as an African American girl, she shared the same thoughts and feelings as everyone standing on the stage or in the auditorium when Mr. Edward Donleavy passively demeaned everything the students had worked so hard to achieve. This story is told by a women who had surpassed all of the difficulties in life to get to this day, and through her learned, and personal, figurative, and detailed writing, has been able to pass on both the ill feelings and the warm feelings of that experience from Mr. Donleavy’s speech, to that of Henry Reed. What Angelou does best is evoke feelings and empathy from her readers. By relating to them and broadcasting her emotions for everyone to see, she emphasizes her sense of being wronged. When she is describing the excitement and anxiety in the people around her, she is relating to what everyone feels when they are about to graduate. “The children in Stamps trembled visibly with anticipation...the whole young population had come down with graduation epidemic.” (22). This is the opening of the story. Immediately what does...
Words: 927 - Pages: 4
...Sabrina Barcena English 68 MW 6:45-8:50 Professor: Danielle Cofer Results May Vary My father said to me once, “it’s the things you have to deal with now that make you the kind of person you later in life”. In “I know why the caged bird sings” by Maya Angelou; Maya writes a lot about things she had to overcome as a child. Maya went through the trauma of displacement, racism, and being raped; especially at a young age and I believe a lot of what she had to deal with and how she reacted made her the respected woman she is today. Maya was only four years old when she was shipped off and ditched by her parents to live with their grandma in the South. At such a young age she already knows the feeling of abandonment from this. When she and Bailey arrive in Stamps, the note posted on their bodies is not addressed to Annie Henderson whom we later find out is “Momma” to them, but rather “To Whom It May Concern.” Maya starts to have trouble believing that she belongs anywhere. But who wouldn’t moving from place to place. “If growing up is painful for the southern black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult.” This from the prologue and probably from an adult mind of Maya or maybe a little bit older than her age when her separation actually happed. It’s so sad because all she really knows is her brother bailey who is just a year older than her. He’s the only thing that really stayed constant in her...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...Spotlight on one special bird in the cage While researching the lists of the authors, I was attracted to the author Maya Angelou, because I am personally interested in civil rights. In this essay, I am going to research whole biography about her which includes lots of work that she has completed, her general perspective and important event which affected people in that century. The reason why I chose her is to explore whether she should have been much popular or not. First I will find historical background of her so that every audience can know at least who she is. And then I will find her major works that she has done, popularity of work at that time, popularity of herself and hidden work which has potential to be popular at that time so...
Words: 1148 - Pages: 5
...Phenomenally Me, Maya Angelou was one the greatest poets of all times, she was wise and unique. Maya Angelou was a public figure, which she was awarded Honorary Doctorates by more than fifty major universities and colleges around the world. One of Maya Angelou principal message was one of inclusiveness; that despite our ethnic, religious and cultural differences, we are more alike than unalike. During the celebration of the great Maya Angelou birthday, her daughter said: “she saw all our differences in language, orientation and perspective as an indication of the richness of our imagination and creativity, and as elements of our nature that we should celebrate “. The year of 1981 Ms. Angelou was nominated for several important awards and read...
Words: 360 - Pages: 2
..."I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is the chronicle of Maya Angelou's youthful exodus from victim to victor. In simple terms, Maya Angelou was an African-American woman, brown like me, who found her voice not only in words but in truth. She eloquently, brilliantly, and with high sensitivity expressed the harsh reality of her life experiences yet infused her readers with power, strength, realization, and infinite hope. It is truth that Dr. Maya Angelou helped save my young life... I was again fortunate to become acquainted with her family. When I encountered - or rather rushed to meet - Dr. Angelou alone at the elevator of the lobby where she'd just spoken at an HRC event, I stumbled over my words. Maya Angelou was truly a sight to behold... Luxuriously tall, and big, and broad... and that voice! That powerful radiantly soft and strong voice... I got to hear that voice again....
Words: 479 - Pages: 2
...Maya Angelou was an inspiration to all the oppressed, the downtrodden, the bullied, and the weak. She imparted a beacon of hope for people of all races and ethnicities. Angelou’s life has informed us about the human condition she faced and showing how she overcame it to pass on to the generations to come. Her life has taught the world important messages regarding love, death, suffering, and aspirations. Angelou wasn’t always brave and defiant. Her words were once tongue-tied, grasping for a way to be heard. In her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou wrote an excerpt about her time with Mrs. Flowers. Mrs. Flowers had a jaunty personality and a great smile. Angelou even refers to her as “the lady who threw me my first lifeline”(Angelou)....
Words: 433 - Pages: 2
