Mathews​ ​1

Ashley​ ​Mathews

Mrs.​ ​Jackie​ ​Burr,​ ​Instructor

English​ ​1010,​ ​Section​ ​4

27​ ​November​ ​2017

Walking​ ​Forward

An​ ​extremely​ ​successful​ ​American​ ​poet,​ ​Maya​ ​Angelou​ ​has​ ​written​ ​a​ ​wide

spread​ ​of​ ​well​ ​known​ ​works,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​“I​ ​Know​ ​Why​ ​the​ ​Caged​ ​Bird​ ​Sings”​ ​(1968)​ ​and

“On​ ​the​ ​Pulse​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Morning”​ ​(1993).​ ​In​ ​her​ ​short​ ​essay​ ​“Graduation,”​ ​Angelou​ ​divulges

an​ ​experience​ ​of​ ​racism​ ​from​ ​1840​ ​as​ ​a​ ​means​ ​of​ ​describing​ ​trail​ ​and​ ​discrimination.

Most​ ​importantly,​ ​though,​ ​Angelou​ ​shares​ ​a​ ​vital​ ​message--​ ​we​ ​are​ ​human,​ ​and​ ​things

such​ ​as​ ​race​ ​will​ ​never​ ​make​ ​someone​ ​less​ ​of​ ​an​ ​individual.

Throughout​ ​“Graduation,”​ ​Angelou​ ​mostl​ ​shares​ ​her​ ​emotion​ ​and​ ​daily​ ​life

amongst​ ​the​ ​pandemonium​ ​of​ ​the​ ​event​ ​itself.​ ​One​ ​detail​ ​she​ ​spends​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​of​ ​time

describing​ ​is​ ​the​ ​dress​ ​she​ ​wore​ ​for​ ​the​ ​ceremony​ ​itself.​ ​All​ ​the​ ​girls​ ​of​ ​her​ ​graduation

class​ ​wore​ ​the​ ​same​ ​dress,​ ​but​ ​each​ ​outfit’s​ ​final​ ​look​ ​was​ ​uniquely​ ​modified,​ ​as

families​ ​in​ ​those​ ​times​ ​were​ ​used​ ​to​ ​making​ ​their​ ​own​ ​clothing.​ ​The​ ​modifications

helped​ ​showcase​ ​individuality​ ​before​ ​Angelou​ ​even​ ​mentions​ ​anything​ ​about​ ​needing​ ​to

stand​ ​up​ ​for​ ​oneself.​ ​Her​ ​overarching​ ​theme​ ​of​ ​unity​ ​and​ ​individuality​ ​peeps​ ​all

throughout​ ​her​ ​stories​ ​of​ ​community​ ​and​ ​family.

Angelou,​ ​as​ ​a​ ​poet,​ ​is​ ​constantly​ ​using​ ​tools​ ​of​ ​figurative​ ​language​ ​to​ ​work​ ​in​ ​her

advantage.​ ​One​ ​particularly​ ​powerful​ ​piece​ ​of​ ​imagery​ ​she​ ​uses​ ​is​ ​the​ ​phrase​ ​of

“headed​ ​for​ ​the​ ​freedom​ ​of​ ​open​ ​fields”​ ​(3).​ ​In​ ​reference​ ​to​ ​an​ ​individual’s​ ​future,​ ​this
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phrase​ ​allows​ ​for​ ​visualization​ ​of​ ​freedom​ ​and​ ​opportunity.​ ​It​ ​also​ ​allows​ ​for

interpretation​ ​of​ ​career​ ​fields,​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​just​ ​fantasized​ ​meadows​ ​with​ ​pink​ ​sunsets.

This​ ​variety​ ​of​ ​interpretation​ ​can​ ​be​ ​found​ ​all​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​story;​ ​Angelou’s​ ​point​ ​of

view,​ ​however,​ ​has​ ​very​ ​sturdy​ ​points​ ​of​ ​speech.​ ​Even​ ​though​ ​she​ ​doesn't​ ​come​ ​right

out​ ​and​ ​say​ ​her​ ​opinion​ ​until​ ​the​ ​very​ ​end,​ ​one​ ​can​ ​still​ ​see​ ​glimpses​ ​of​ ​her​ ​emotion​ ​all

throughout.

One​ ​example​ ​of​ ​subtle​ ​reference​ ​to​ ​Angelou’s​ ​opinion​ ​is​ ​whenever​ ​she

references​ ​the​ ​white​ ​community.​ ​Angelou​ ​was​ ​black,​ ​and​ ​thus​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​in​ ​a​ ​black

community.​ ​Since​ ​she​ ​was​ ​born​ ​in​ ​1928,​ ​she​ ​also​ ​had​ ​to​ ​deal​ ​with​ ​all​ ​the​ ​racial​ ​injustice

and​ ​constant​ ​discrimination​ ​before​ ​the​ ​civil​ ​rights​ ​movement​ ​in​ ​the​ ​1960’s.​ ​The​ ​story​ ​of

“Graduation”​ ​is​ ​placed​ ​in​ ​the​ ​year​ ​1940,​ ​so​ ​all​ ​the​ ​cruelty​ ​and​ ​discrimination​ ​she​ ​faces

throughout​ ​her​ ​life​ ​is​ ​still​ ​highly​ ​relevant.​ ​One​ ​experience​ ​she​ ​mentions​ ​is​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that

even​ ​just​ ​the​ ​design​ ​and​ ​building​ ​of​ ​the​ ​white​ ​versus​ ​the​ ​colored​ ​schools​ ​are​ ​completely

differnet.​ ​Angelou​ ​descrbes​ ​the​ ​colored​ ​school​ ​as​ ​having​ ​hardly​ ​anyu​ ​of​ ​the​ ​same

decorations​ ​as​ ​the​ ​white​ ​school.​ ​The​ ​white​ ​school​ ​had​ ​“[lawns,​ ​hedges,​ ​and​ ​ivy],”

whereas​ ​the​ ​colored​ ​school​ ​was​ ​set​ ​upon​ ​a​ ​dirt​ ​hill,​ ​and​ ​had​ ​only​ ​“rusty​ ​hoops​ ​on

swaying​ ​poles”​ ​for​ ​their​ ​recreational​ ​equipment.​ ​Even​ ​something​ ​as​ ​simple​ ​as​ ​an

inadequacy​ ​in​ ​playground​ ​equipment​ ​portrays​ ​the​ ​implication​ ​that​ ​the​ ​colored​ ​schools

were​ ​inferior.​ ​By​ ​showing​ ​of​ ​the​ ​proclaimed​ ​inferiority​ ​of​ ​these​ ​schools,​ ​the​ ​white

community​ ​was​ ​sealing-the-deal,​ ​so​ ​to​ ​speak.​ ​After​ ​all,​ ​who​ ​would​ ​want​ ​to​ ​send​ ​the

child​ ​or​ ​money​ ​to​ ​a​ ​school​ ​that​ ​was​ ​inadequate?​ ​Unfortunately,​ ​the​ ​black​ ​community
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was​ ​not​ ​see​ ​as​ ​in​ ​need​ ​of​ ​the​ ​same​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​school,​ ​and​ ​thus,​ ​leaving​ ​them​ ​in​ ​a

crumbling​ ​old​ ​building​ ​just​ ​further​ ​pushed​ ​the​ ​ideas​ ​of​ ​black​ ​insignificance.

During​ ​the​ ​graduation​ ​portion​ ​of​ ​“Graduation,”​ ​Angelou​ ​shares​ ​how​ ​Edward

Donleavy,​ ​a​ ​white​ ​man,​ ​got​ ​up​ ​to​ ​the​ ​stand​ ​to​ ​give​ ​a​ ​speech​ ​on​ ​the​ ​success​ ​of​ ​the

school.​ ​However,​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​finding​ ​herself​ ​filled​ ​with​ ​pride​ ​and​ ​joy,​ ​Angelou​ ​told

herself​ ​that​ ​she​ ​would​ ​have​ ​rather​ ​died--​ ​or​ ​even​ ​never​ ​been​ ​born--​ ​to​ ​get​ ​away​ ​from

the​ ​injustice​ ​and​ ​awful​ ​attitude​ ​of​ ​discrimination​ ​that​ ​this​ ​man​ ​was​ ​portraying.​ ​She​ ​states

that​ ​“it​ ​was​ ​brutal​ ​to​ ​be​ ​young​ ​and​ ​already​ ​trained​ ​to​ ​sit​ ​quietly​ ​and​ ​listen​ ​to​ ​charges

brought​ ​against​ ​[her]​ ​color​ ​with​ ​no​ ​chance​ ​of​ ​defense.”​ ​These​ ​emotions​ ​and​ ​intensities

portray​ ​Angelou’s​ ​inner​ ​fears​ ​and​ ​worries.

Angelou,​ ​in​ ​that​ ​moment​ ​of​ ​terror​ ​and​ ​anguish,​ ​felt​ ​utterly​ ​and​ ​completely

inadequate.​ ​Unsuccessful.​ ​Unloved.​ ​Unworthy​ ​of​ ​of​ ​any​ ​means​ ​of​ ​care.​ ​One​ ​of​ ​her

fellow​ ​audience​ ​members--​ ​most​ ​likely​ ​out​ ​of​ ​habit​ ​than​ ​anything​ ​else--​ ​gave​ ​an​ ​Amen

to​ ​Donleavy's​ ​speech.​ ​Angelou​ ​was​ ​livid;​ ​why​ ​would​ ​they​ ​be​ ​supporting​ ​someone​ ​who

looked​ ​down​ ​upon​ ​them​ ​as​ ​inferior​ ​beings?​ ​Blacks​ ​weren’t​ ​even​ ​allowed​ ​to​ ​drink​ ​from

the​ ​same​ ​water​ ​fountain,​ ​much​ ​less​ ​learn​ ​their​ ​education​ ​from​ ​the​ ​same​ ​building.​ ​This

segregation​ ​was​ ​awful​ ​and​ ​painful,​ ​but​ ​for​ ​Angelou​ ​it​ ​was​ ​constant.​ ​Looking​ ​at​ ​this

moment,​ ​Angelou​ ​describes​ ​her​ ​inner​ ​anger:​ ​“As​ ​a​ ​species,​ ​we​ ​were​ ​an​ ​abomination.

All​ ​of​ ​us.”​ ​All​ ​individuals​ ​start​ ​from​ ​the​ ​same​ ​fresh​ ​start,​ ​and​ ​yet​ ​tradition​ ​and​ ​history​ ​do

their​ ​best​ ​to​ ​intertwine​ ​into​ ​our​ ​lives​ ​before​ ​we’re​ ​even​ ​born.​ ​Angelou​ ​stands​ ​up,

determined​ ​to​ ​halt​ ​at​ ​least​ ​a​ ​portion​ ​of​ ​that​ ​philosophy.
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Works​ ​Cited

Angelou,​ ​Mya.​ ​“Graduation.”​ ​50​ ​Essays;​ ​A​ ​Portable​ ​Anthology.​ ​3rd​ ​Edition.​ ​Ed.​ ​Samuel

Cohen.​ ​Boston;​ ​Bedord/St.​ ​Martion’s,​ ​2011