Describe how techniques have been used in the text. Explain how these techniques have been used to create a particular effect. “Techniques” could include characterisation, dialogue, narrative point-of-view, language techniques, style, or structure.
In the poem by ‘Maya Angelou’s On The Pulse Of Morning’, the poem is about hope for a better future and letting go of the difficulty and oppression of the past. Some of the techniques used in the poem On The Pulse Of Morning are metaphors, direct address and historical reference. These are used to acknowledge the past and portray the hope that there is for the future.
In the poem, Maya Angelou uses similes and metaphors to portray the hope she has for the future of not just America but this world. A metaphor used in this poem is ‘each of you a boarded country’. This means that everyone is working as individuals in this world but what Maya Angelou is trying to tell us is if we work together as one we will be so much stronger. Our voices will be heard and there will be a much happier, healthier world for everyone to live in. She is telling us to work as a team and help everyone no matter who they are. Another very strong quote from this poem is ‘across the wall of the world a river sings a beautiful song’. This is an extended metaphor it means that once we stop judging and accept everyone we will see how beautiful this world can be. It is saying if we stop fighting and help each other we will see how peaceful and accepting our world can be. These metaphors create a very hopeful effect. It is admitting that there is aggression and war inside our walls and as soon as we knock them down we will see how beautiful life can be. I think that this is very relevent to the world today because everyone is very private. If we learn to help and share with eachother I beleive that this world would be a much better place. This definatly relates to the black lives matter movement of today because if we weren’t so borded and non accepting we wouldn’t have to deal with this violence that we are now facing. If everyone was equal there would be no need to fight for certain genders or races because that wouldn’t matter.
In the poem, Maya Angelou uses direct address to bring hope and belief to the listeners. An example of direct address in this poem is ‘Good morning’. It is very significant that the title of this poem refers to the morning. This is significant because the first and last words are about the morning. It is very hopeful showing that there is still hope for this world. The morning is a very productive time of the day and the fact that this poem is referring to the morning means that we have gone through the night and we are now waking up to a bright clear future. The night referring to the past and the morning referring to the future. This is directly addressing everyone. It has been used to bring hope to everyone for the future of this world. This quote is a way of saying yes there have been days before this but, today is a new day and what we do now is what matters. It is saying the future is bright and hopeful. This poem leads up to the good morning. All throughout the poem, Maya Angelou is telling us to let go of the past and move into the future. This means that the good morning is not just for today, it is welcoming a whole new future. The importance of this poem being read at Bill Clinton’s inauguration is because he could be the person to lead the country into a new, bright future full of hope and acceptance. This quote makes me feel like there is hope for our future. It is very relative to today as we are going through a global pandemic and worrying about what will happen next but if we were to see everyday as a new day that has hope everyone would be a lot happier. This quote makes people feel like you can keep going and find new oppertunities even if your world is falling apart. It reminds me that there will always be another day.
In the poem, Maya Angelou uses a historical reference to acknowledge the past but show that you can move past it. The historical reference she uses is ‘Yet today I call you to my riverside’. This is a historical reference to a song that slaves would sing to each other. It was used to signal to the slaves in the slave huts to meet at the riverside. The river is one of the places slaves would meet to follow into the north and escape. The significance of this quote is that Maya Angelou is accepting that she can’t change the past but she will acknowledge that the past was cruel. She is saying yes there has been injustice in the past but from today we can stop dwelling on the past and make a better, more hopeful future. This reference makes people realise that Maya Angelou is not denying the past, she is using it to grow and make sure that we do not repeat the past. She has hope that songs like these will never be made again under these circumstances.
The poem, On The Pulse Of Morning, is an extremely hopeful poem that has influenced millions of people ever since it was first read. This is because she wants everyone to have a bright future and she has hope that we can live together without judgement and violence. Maya Angelou has used metaphors, direct address and a historical reference to convey the future we can make together. She has specifically used these techniques to help us understand her view of hope for the future and recognition of the past.
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