Life Doesn't Frighten Me: Maya Angelou

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And then there is the end of the poem. What is the ‘magic charm’ kept up the speaker’s ‘sleeve’? Is it nothing more than the message of the poem itself: that life cannot and will not frighten her, something that she repeats to herself so that it becomes true? And is she repeating it to herself so often because she is trying to convince herself, but, despite the poem’s reassurances, her fearlessness is not quite so secure as she is making out?

The last two lines of the eleventh stanza admit that she might sometimes be afraid, but it’s only in her dreams. There, she can’t control what she feels.

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The poem’s speaker is determined not to let these things scare her, and she uses her imagination to make fun of them, saying that she dares to make them disappear. She also has a magic charm that keeps her safe, giving her the power to walk the ocean floor and never have to breathe. This is a metaphor for her inner strength and confidence to overcome obstacles. The poem begins with imagery of shadows on the wall and noises down the hall, setting a tone of eerie and unsettling surroundings. The poem’s imagery and repetition create a firm conviction in the speaker’s words. For instance, the use of vivid imagery helps her describe her actions in response to these supposed scares, such as “I go boo, make them shoo” and “I won’t cry, so they fly.” This imagery adds a playful and childlike tone to the poem, further emphasizing the speaker’s fearlessness.

The tenth stanza brings the speaker, who is confirmed in these lines to be young, into the classroom. This is a place where most children experience fear at some point but she does not. The boys might pull her hair or taunt her, but she doesn’t care. If they show her “frogs and snakes” she isn’t bothered either. The fourth stanza brings in “Dragons breathing fire” on her bedspread”. She isn’t afraid of those either. Multiple choice, short answer questions, and writing questions - you can print the unit along with the poem Moreover, she uses personification in “mean old Mother Goose” and “big ghosts in a cloud,” adding a touch of humor and lightness to the otherwise ominous list of things that don’t frighten the speaker.

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Marouska Danial : it's an amazing poem it makes me feel like I can do anything its a powerful poem but also very interesting its sinks deep in my heart Maya Angelou was an amazing woman and this poem proves it more then u think to read it s couple times or even listen to her say it rest in peace Maya Angelou and thank you for everything you have done you are an amazingly nice and very powerful woman Poetic elements are used to enhance the intended impact of the seemingly simple texts. Maya Angelou has added a variety of powerful poetic diction to make her poem a worth read. She has used imagery, symbolism, metaphor, and various other literary elements to convey a message of fearlessness and confidence. In the first stanza of ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,’the speaker begins by taking note of the few things that might if she wasn’t so sure of her place in the world, frighten her. These are the “shadows on the wall” and the “noises down the hall”. The perfect rhyme that these lines and the others in this poem have, make each of these statements feel like a nursery rhyme. Something that its meant for a child to hear, read, or remember and take strength from.