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Maya Angelou takes a simple but poetic view of the process of aging. One of the important
things about
growing old, she says, is that the elderly are no longer forced to hold their tongues but may say
exactly
what comes to mind. They are also free to laugh as they please.
There are naturally the handicaps like dribbling and the brittleness of their bones but they
have
wonderful memories of a whole life to draw upon.
A NOTE ON THE POET
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in April 1928. Her life story is a remarkable one,
growing
up in poor circumstances and a victim of a shattered home.
She was raped by her mother's boyfriend when she was just eleven years old, an incident which
caused
her to become selectively mute for many years until she had her self-confidence and honour
restored to
her through the help of a friend.
Her shocking childhood, however, led to a struggle to maturity and she fell pregnant because
of her efforts
to prove she was a woman. Her marriages to both Tosh Angelou and Paul Du Feu ended in
divorce.
She nevertheless overcame all these disadvantages and found a niche on the stage and later
on the
screen, acting in several award-winning productions. She has also made a name for herself in
the arena of film directing.
Today Maya Angelou is renowned as a poet and writer, an actress and director, and was an
important
figure in the American Civil Rights Movement.
She is the author of 12 best-selling books and innumerable poems. Indeed, she is one of the
most prolific
Black authors of the modern day, and the recipient of numerous top awards. She also speaks
several
languages fluently.
She has been described as one of the great voices of contemporary literature and as a
remarkable
Renaissance woman because of her ability to overcome all obstacles and utilize her talents to
the full.
Despite her lack of any form of college education, she has lectured at several universities. In
1981 she
assumed a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest
University. She has subsequently been awarded Honorary Doctorates from several leading
American
universities.
In January 1993 she was asked to read one of her poems at the inauguration of President Bill
Clinton, an
honour only happening once before and that to the great American poet, Robert Frost.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
"They have spent their
content of simpering,
holding their lips this
and that way, winding
the lines between
their brows."
- What does the poet mean when she uses the word "simpering"? (2)
[Need help?]
"Simpering", according to the dictionary, means "a silly, self-conscious smile".
One is usually
very critical of people who "simper" because it is regarded as fawning, and indicates a
person who
is lacking willpower.
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- What then does the poet mean when she speaks of "their content of
simpering"? (4)
[Need help?]
"Content" or "contents" means "everything that there is". The contents of
your house
would mean everything contained in your house, from furniture to clothes to kitchen utensils, etc.
"Their content of simpering" would therefore mean every way in which the people could
simper.
People simper all the time - to their superiors, to their in-laws, etc. - so as not to "rock
the boat"
or say anything which the other person might take amiss.
It is a form of not wanting to leave a bad impression, although people who simper usually do
leave a bad
impression.
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- What is meant by "holding their lips this and that way"? (4)
[Need help?]
"To hold one's lips" is probably another way of saying, "To hold one's tongue".
When one is really angry with someone - usually someone in authority - one might feel the
need
"to hold one's lips" rather than to speak one's mind. One "holds one's lips" when
one
realises that it might do more harm than good to speak one's mind, especially when in anger.
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- How can a person "wind the lines between their brows"? (4)
[Need help?]
This is a rather quaint image.
Old people always have lines in their brows or foreheads. Why do they have them? Partly from
frowning.
There are two possible interpretations of "winding the lines". The first means negotiating
the lines,
walking through them as in "We wound our way through the traffic".
The poet, however, perhaps suggests that the lines are put there by winding the skin up. The
key they
use to do this is by forever holding their tongues, by accepting all the time that they are in the
wrong.
If one is always in the wrong, it is surely enough to cause one to frown often and this in turn
causes
wrinkles in the brow. And so these people have wound the creases into their foreheads by
always holding
their lips or tongues.
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- How would you sum up the message in these six lines? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet suggests that most people spend their time holding their lips or holding their tongues,
and this
causes the many wrinkles on their brows. It is stressful to be forever holding back lest one
offends
someone.
The old folks, however, have reached that stage in their lives when they no longer need to do
this. They
are now free to say whatever they like.
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"Old folks
allow their bellies to jiggle like slow
tambourines."
- Comment this rather quaint expression. (4)
[Need help?]
It is in the nature of growing old that people develop rolls of fat on their tummies. When they
laugh deeply,
these rolls of fat will bounce.
Why the "tambourines"? A "tambourine" is a musical percussion instrument
usually used
by children in a percussion band. Shake it and it will make a rather pleasing sound.
The poet possibly wants to create a pleasant sound to these lines. The old folks' laughter
makes their
bellies wriggle and bounce but there is a note of happiness in this as well - and it is a pleasant
sound
hearing old folks laughing.
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"The hollers
rise up and spill
over any way they want.
When old folks laugh, they free the world."
- What is meant by "hollers"? (2)
[Need help?]
"Hollers" usually means "shouting out". In this poem, however, it means that the
old folks'
laughter is loud, as if their laughter itself is shouting out.
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- Why should their "hollers" spill over "any way they want"? (2)
[Need help?]
Just as the old folks have stopped trying to please everybody, so have they stopped trying to
laugh politely.
Now they just laugh any way they want, and as loudly as they want.
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- What does the poet mean when she says, "When old folks laugh, they free the
world"? (2)
[Need help?]
Just as old folks feel free to laugh as they wish, so their laughter itself is refreshing. It is such
a pleasant
thing to be with people who really enjoy themselves and don't mind other people seeing it.
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