Poet Background
Maya Angelou's birthname
Who is Marguerite Annie Johnson?
"When you see me sitting quietly,
Like a sack left on the shelf"
The literary device used here
What is a simile?
Maya Angelou challenges these in the poem
What are stereotypes?
Maya Angelou's teacher
Who is Mrs. Flowers?
" ‘Cause tired don’t mean lazy
And every goodbye ain’t gone"
Linguistic style used here
What is a colloquialism?
President who awarded her Presidential Medal of Freedom
Who is Barack Obama?
Writing group she joined in the 1950's
What is Harlem Writer's Guild?
"A little less hair, a little less chin,
A lot less lungs and much less wind."
Rhetorical technique used here
What is anaphora?
Year the poem was published
When was 1978?
Years she was mute for
What are five years?
"When my bones are stiff and aching,
And my feet won’t climb the stair,
I will only ask one favor:
Don’t bring me no rocking chair. "
Scheme that builds emphasis on independence
What is a rhyme scheme?
The first president whose committee she served on
Who is Gerald Ford?