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"Graduation" is a chapter found in Maya Angelou's autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird
racially segregated South, Angelou describes her experience graduating from the blacks-only
grammar school and details the differences between the black and white schools. Throughout life
we face many challenges just like Maya Angelou's autobiographical essay "Graduation", was
about more than just moving on to another grade. The unforeseen events that happened during
the ceremony allowed her to graduate from the views of a child to the more experienced and
sometimes disillusioning views of an adult. Upon reading the story there is an initial feeling of
enthusiasm and confidence which was rapidly tarnished with the abrupt awareness of human
prejudices. The author vibrantly illustrates a rainbow of significant mood changes she undergoes
throughout the story. Ms. Angelou's effective strategy of comparison and contrast. By comparing
what the black schools don't have, such as 'lawn, nor hedges, nor tennis courts, nor climbing ivy,'
reveals not only a clear illustration of what luxuries the white schools in the forties had but also
how unjust the system was. Throughout the book she implies her concern for continuing
education after graduation. Her main idea was about the unfair treatment of African-Americans
during that time because they were not valued for their educational intelligence.
Anzaldua, Gloria E. author, cultural theorist, and feminist philosopher, was born in the south
Texas town of Raymondville, the oldest of four children of Urbano and Amalia (Garca)
with a rare hormonal disorder that triggered premature puberty, including monthly menses from
the age of six. This hormonal condition marked Gloria as physiologically different from her
peers, fostering in her a lifelong empathy for other outsiders, which motivated her social justice
work and her desire to use the written word to create new forms of inclusionary communities.
The piece How to Tame a Wilde Tongue by Gloria Anzaldua is tremendously valued since it
brings to discussion important social issues such as sexism, cultural imperialism, racism, low
self-esteem, reprimand and identity formation. She determines comparisons among English,
Spanish and their differences and how cultural imperialism influence on peoples preference to
speak one language rather than the other. One of the piece strengths is clearly stated by the
author when she qualifies the acculturation process as violent. She uses the term linguistic
terrorism and clarifies how the First Amendment is violated, when an individual has his form of
expression attacked with intend of censure. Another interesting point is the view of languages as
subjective and passive of changes that go beyond new grammatical rules. Those changes
incorporate social and cultural factors. In addition, there is an intriguing questioning on whether
identity construction is a social input and to what extent individuals have control upon their own
identity formation. In the piece Gloria says wild tongues cant be tamed, they can only be cut
out it signifies how ingrained her Chicano heritage and language is in her.
Poetry changed Maya Angelou life ,Angelou was well on her way to mastery of the various
linguistic styles around her, in the beginnings of a lifelong love for the "sound of language."
Although she never attended college, her gift with words was ultimately recognized by more
than 50 honorary degrees and an endowed university professorship, not to mention a permanent
legacy in the minds and classrooms of the nation. The language in her works reflect the different
social and cultural worlds that she navigated, especially as a groundbreaking Black poet with
access to Standardized English, African American English, and the great diversity of both. Every
word Angelou wrote was a choice between one language variety or another, and the way in
which she decided between them is a significant part of how her words resonate with so many
people. Whereas poetry means the same to Gloria Anzalduas it gives her a platform to speak
"Gloria E. Anzalda." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
"How to Tame a Wild Tongue- Summary and Response." Brainstorming Ideas - The Social
Worker. N.p., 12 May 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
"Maya Angelou's The Graduation." Maya Angelou's The Graduation: Maya Angelou The
Graduation. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
"Maya Angelou." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.