The Memory Flashcards
Suffering
Explores the never-ending…
pain forced upon slaves in the Southern states
MAIN IDEA: Angelou presents suffering as…
a long standing ordeal endured across many generations
4 Big Ideas:
- Injustice
- Systematic oppression ( / racial discrimination) inflicting intense feelings of entrapment
- Memories of previous mistreatment haunts the speaker -> the speaker´s pain is intensified
- The burden of social injustice is a pain that one must carry throughout their entire life
“Cotton rows crisscross the world”
(+ where is the speaker situated)
The imagery is of the 20th century global commodities.
The speaker is observant.
“Cotton rows”
References the agriculture in the South of America. Allusion to the history of slavery, and their hard labour.
“Crisscross”
(+ alternative)
The verb illustrates the pattern of the cotton rows.
OR
It may allude to the scars on the slaves backs caused by whipping
“World”
(+ link to the line, “And every baby crying”)
The noun highlights the vast scale of the global slave trade. Perhaps, it may suggest that the suffering is world wide, linking to the line, “And every baby crying”
…“And every baby crying”
The line conveys that the psychological trauma that has been inflicted upon slaves. It highlights the negative impact is has had upon everyone else, including the future generations.
The determiner, “every”, suggests that no one is…
going unharmed or untouched; the distress endured is felt by everyone, including those whom are innocent.
“Baby”
Angelou uses the noun, “baby”, to symbolise the purity and innocence in the world. This evokes empathy and pathos in readers as we see the injustice of the prejudice exerted upon the African Americans.
Angelou uses the adjective, “Crying”, to perhaps…
(+ Deeper implication)
encourage readers to subvert from societal norms. In doing so, readers may feel guilty and shame for the pain and suffering inflicted upon the black community.
D.I. - Hopefully stopping us from committing the same mistakes again
The series of gerunds, ending with the present continual, and creating a lexical field of agony: “yearning”, “burning”, “crying”, “dying”, represent…
(+ D.I)
the continuous suffering of slaves and the ongoing pain that will be felt in the generations to come.
Angelou creates a powerful message as she raises the question, “What is the meaning of life if we are going to spend it suffering?”.
Universal message of the series of gerunds
The transitory existence underscores the the fleeting quality of life, reminding us that moments and experiences are a subject to constant change.
“Sugar can reach up to God”
(+ link, themes, context)
The personification in the metaphor may mirror the slaves’ outcry for assistance amidst the suffering. This may depict the natural longing we have for a better life and how we seek solace in God.
Key themes in Angelou´s poetry are strength and resilience, which can be seen in her notorious poems, “Still I Rise”, and “Phenomenal Woman”.
Contextually, this highlights Angelou as a civil rights activist.
“Sugar cane”, another global commodity, symbolises…
(+ link)
luxury and indulgence. The natural sweetness and pleasure of the “sugar cane” may reference the higher social classes indulging in their wealth and neglecting the suffering of others.
This links to the poem, “Lady Luncheon Club”, where the people from the higher rankings uphold an ignorant approach in the lower classes suffering.
