Mom & Me & Mom Flashcards
“I had a five-year-old son, two jobs, and two rented rooms, with cooking privileges down the hall.”
Enumerator immediately establishes self reliance and independence which creates an image of strength but also her vulnerability
“My landlady, Mrs Jefferson, was kind and grandmotherly.
Post modifying adjective creates images of warmth and nurture. It allows Angelou to reflect on her past and appreciate the support around her
“We’re always loyal, if often unhappy diners, at Chez Jefferson.”
Juxtaposition emphasises the entrapment that she feels and that she has no other choice, but she lightens the mood through the comedic proper noun
“Vivian’s Red Rice Day”
Alliterative proper noun shows its significance to her and she’s treating it like a celebration
“Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my mother-yes you belong in that category.”
Reinforces the admiration and respect her mother has for her. Sense of dramatic irony because Angelou will go on to also be a prominent figure in history
“You are the greatest woman I’ve ever met.”
Superlative adjective emphasises the significance, shows how her mother hasn’t know her as anything else other than a “woman”
“No dressing or gravy, a simple lettuce salad, no tomatoes or cucumbers.”
Determiners show how she’ll take whatever her mother gives her because she didn’t have that when she was younger
Purpose
- To share her experiences as a young, single mother and a black female in a prejudiced society with no solid support
- To encourage and inspire people in similar situations
Context - achievements
- She was a singer, poet, dancer, writer, and civil rights activist
- First black female director for 20th Century Fox
- 2nd poet to read aloud at a presidential inauguration
Context - early life
- Raped by her mothers boyfriend at age 7, he was later killed by her uncles
- Became mute for 5 years because she believed her words brought death
- Had her son aged 16 and worked a number of jobs
“She fed him peaches and cream and hotdogs, but I only went to Fulton Street once a month and at an agreed-upon time”
Syndetic listing highlights how she has no motherly experience with Angelou to use on Guy, temporal markers suggest formality
