Refusal

Question 1

Speaker is determined…

Answer 1

not to yield to mortality as long as the prospect of happiness and joy endures

Question 2

Speaker is torn between…

Answer 2

following their lover into the afterlife or not

Question 3

4 Big Ideas

Answer 3

• Innate desire to stay with a loved one
• Loss is a human experience that we all must endure
• Heartache, grief, longing, determination, tenderness
• Puts into question whether we value physical attraction more than emotional connection

Question 4

“Refusal” (TITLE)

Answer 4

A defiant tonal register is communicated through the noun. Angelou encapsulates the speaker´s trouble in accepting the departure of a loved one

Question 5

“Beloved,”

Answer 5

Dramatically contrasts the title. Perhaps, it unveils the deeply personal, unspoken grief

Question 6

The noun, “Beloved”, directly addresses…

Answer 6

the speaker´s lover, portraying the everlasting love the speaker had for him

Question 7

The caesura, “Beloved,” , transforms the poem into having…

Answer 7

a similar structure to that of a letter. This may suggest that the poem is in fact a letter dedicated to a loved one. By allowing access into the speaker´s personal thoughts, the readers may evoke sympathy towards the loss

Question 8

Deeper implication of the Title + “beloved”

Answer 8

People place barriers in order to mark their vulnerability. The speaker´s “refusal” in accepting the loss comes across as quite aggressive. Angelou suggests that this is because when dealing with loss, it is much easier to be ignorant to the colossal amount of grief rather than truly processing and allowing the pain to sink in.

Question 9

An alternative interpretation to the poem as a whole…

(+ link to another line of the poem)

Answer 9

could be that Angelou is doing a self reflection of when she “refus[ed] to talk. She became mute at the age of 8 after convincing herself that her words killed her rapist. “Beloved” could merely symbolise Angelou addressing her younger self´s actions in retrospect.

This links to the line, “In what other lives or lands”

Question 10

“In what other lives or lands”

Answer 10

The metaphor accentuates the speaker´s familiarity of her love towards him.

Question 11

“live” and “lands”

Answer 11

Their love prevails adversities and time, it is unconditional.
They have a spiritual and emotional connection

Question 12

“live” and “lands”
(liquid alliteration)

Answer 12

Tranquillity, serenity, flowing

Question 13

“Have I known your lips / your hands / your laughter”

Answer 13

Vivid sensual imagery, emphasising the sensory aspects of the lover´s presence

Question 14

The present perfect, “have” and “known”, may convey…

Answer 14

the speaker´s past experiences with her lover as still resonating with her

Question 15

The anaphora of the possessive pronoun, “your”, may indicate a sense of…

Answer 15

urgency and desperation as the speaker highlights that she only wants him in her life.

Question 16

The noun, “laughter”…

Answer 16

Produces a nostalgic tone. Speaker recollects a fond memory of the lover´s unique attributes.

Question 17

“…[laughter] brave / irreverent.”

(+ D.I.)

Answer 17

The compound adjectives give preview to readers of the lover´s personality: He was willing to challenge societal conventions, which was a quality that the speaker admired.

DEEPER IMPLICATION

Loss allowed the speaker to appreciate and admire the persona´s characteristics in a different way

Question 18

“[laughter] brave”

Answer 18

Personification. She blends the speaker´s attributes together as one, to try and give life to the speaker (?)

Question 19

The adjective, “Irreverent”, means…

Answer 19

arrogant and disrespectful. This suggests that the speaker found him attractive for his defiance against social norms.

Question 20

“What surety is there / that we will meet again”

Answer 20

The absent question mark serves as a coping mechanism for the speaker as she is unsure whether there is an afterlife of not. She tries to re-assure herself that there is still hope that they “we will meet again”

Question 21

The modal verb, “will”, emphatically conveys…

Answer 21

the speaker´s determination and willingness to see him again.

Question 22

“Future time undated”

Answer 22

The metaphor holds a spiritual undertone

Question 23

“Future time”

Answer 23

They are destined to be together

Question 23

The adjective, “Undated”, suggests that…

Answer 23

although the speaker anticipates that they will re-unite, the precise timing remains unspecified, which inflicts agitation and frustration upon the speaker

Question 24

“I defy my body´s haste”

Answer 24

The metaphor may suggest that she is refusing to die and surrender to death until she is able to be with her lover once more.

Question 25

“Body´s haste”

Answer 25

Angelou uses personification to highlight the speaker´s resilience and determination to beat death.

Question 26

“haste”

Answer 26

The noun increases pace to the poem as the noun means urgency of movement. This portrays the speaker´s active approach in trying to obtain and secure a future with her lover.

Question 27

The verb. “Defy”, links to…

(+ link to another line of the poem)

Answer 27

the title, “refusal”, where the lexical field produced highlights the speaker´s unwilling attitude to obey the laws of nature.

This attitude links to the line, “I will not deign to die”

Question 28

“I will not deign to die”

(Is the last line of the poem)

(+ context and 2 other poems)

Answer 28

Resilient and defiant attitude highlights the speaker´s extreme devotion towards her lover.

“Still I rise”, and “Phenomenal Woman”
Activist

Question 29

Dental alliteration in : “I will not deign to die”

Answer 29

Produces a strong, assertive tone.

Question 30

The verb, “deign”, contextually links with…

(+ link to another poem)

Answer 30

Angelou´s self confidence. It also highlights how the speaker considers death to be beneath her dignity

“MOMMA WELFARE ROLL”

Question 31

“Of one more sweet encounter”

Answer 31

The speaker needs affirmation that she will meet him again

Question 32

The adjective, “Sweet”, conveys the lover´s…

Answer 32

presence as being pleasurable and enchanting.

Question 33

Universal message

Answer 33

To seize the most out of every human interaction and the love that surrounds us because one day we may be absent from it.

Question 34

End stops

Answer 34

Draw emphasis upon particular qualities and attributes of the speaker. It also symbolises the speaker´s heartbreak.