Starter quiz
- What is a stanza? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- a poet's use of rhyme in a poem
- a verse of grouped lines in a poem ✓
- a story
- a poem
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- Maya Angelou was born in St Louis, Missouri. Which continent is this in? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- North America ✓
- South America
- Asia
- Africa
- Europe
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- Match each technique to its definition. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- repetition⇔the intentional recurrence of a word or phrase ✓
- commands⇔using the verb form to give an order e.g. stand up ✓
- similes⇔comparing two things using 'like' or 'as' ✓
- metaphor⇔comparing two things using the verb 'to be' ✓
- Which of these are examples of commands? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- Let's sit down.
- Hurry over here, please. ✓
- Don't only eat chocolate for lunch. ✓
- I stood boldly in front of them.
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- Which of these is an example of a simile? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- The bird didn't like being trapped in its cage.
- As far I'm concerned, she's a phenomenal woman.
- Her eyes burned with the fire of a thousand suns.
- I will never give up; like the sun, I will always rise to fight another day. ✓
- Life doesn't frighten me.
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- Which of these are examples of metaphors? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- Her eyes were ablaze: pure liquid fire. ✓
- My body is an ocean – powerful and strong. ✓
- I am always going to fight for equality.
- She sang like a song bird.
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Exit quiz
- Match each method to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- repetition⇔the intentional recurrence of a word or phrase ✓
- assertive language⇔words that reveal the speaker to be confident and self-assured ✓
- figurative language⇔non-literal phrases or words which develop a writer's meaning ✓
- What award did Angelou receive from President Barack Obama in 2011? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- the Poet Laureate prize
- a Pulitzer Prize for Literature
- the Nobel Prize for Freedom
- the Presidential Medal for Freedom ✓
- the Presidential Medal for Literature
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- Maya Angelou was a poet, but she was also a ______ rights activist, advocating for social and political equality.
- 'civil' ✓
- One of Maya Angelou's poems is called '______ Woman' ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'Phenomenal ' ✓
- In Maya Angelou's poem 'Equality', the speaker says that she stands "______" before the people who try and oppress her ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'boldy' ✓
- In Maya Angelou's poem 'Phenomenal Woman', the speaker says that she has "______" in her eyes ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'fire' ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American poet and civil rights activist.
- Angelou's poems have a distinctive voice.
- Figurative language, repetition and an assertive tone are three ways Angelou creates a distinctive voice in her work.
- Arguably, the speaker in 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' is presented as assertive.
- You could argue that the speaker in 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' is only pretending to be assertive.
Common misconception
'Life Doesn't Frighten Me' is saying that life isn't scary.
The poem lists many scary and frightening things. It presents some of the world's dangers. The speaker, however, is not frightened of life despite these dangers.
Keywords
Civil rights activist - a person who advocates for social and political equality for those who have been denied equal treatment
Figurative language - non-literal phrases or words which develop a writer's meaning
Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work; repetition and figurative language are just two examples
Distinctive - something that is appealing and interesting because of its recognisable or special qualities
Assertive - confident, self-assured
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