Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Equality' | English | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

What is a refrain? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- the repetition of the same letter at the start of successive words
- when a poet compares one thing to another using 'like' or 'as'
- a repeated line or set of lines in a poem ✓
- when the title is the same as one of the lines in the poem
Which of these are examples of commands? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- Hear my voice. ✓
- I am not afraid.
- Boldly, I won’t do what you want.
- Stand and march with me. ✓
Match each word to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- accusatory
  
  ⇔
  
  suggesting someone has done something wrong ✓
- assertive
  
  ⇔
  
  confident, self-assured ✓
- oppress
  
  ⇔
  
  to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly ✓
When was Maya Angelou born? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- 1914
- 1918
- 1928 ✓
- 1978
- 1983
Match each of these Maya Angelou poems to their focus. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- 'Phenomenal Woman'
  
  ⇔
  
  a speaker telling us where her confidence and beauty come from: her ✓
- 'Still I Rise'
  
  ⇔
  
  a speaker explaining how the oppression they have faced can't diminish ✓
- 'Caged Bird'
  
  ⇔
  
  a poem that uses an extended metaphor to explore inequality ✓
- 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
  
  ⇔
  
  a speaker lists all the things they aren't frightened of and why ✓
Maya Angelou was a poet and a civil ______ activist ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'rights' ✓

Exit quiz

What word does Maya Angelou's poem 'Equality' start with? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- Equality
- Inequality
- I
- You ✓
- Freedom
What is the final word of Maya Angelou's 'Equality'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- equality
- inequality
- I
- you
- freedom ✓
When using quotations to explore an idea, what could you do to make your use of quotations powerful? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- rely on one long quotation so you have a lot to say about it
- don't quote directly – just say where it comes in the text
- link quotations together ✓
- identify the method or technique in the quotation and then move on
Starting with the first, put these Maya Angelou poems in the order they were published. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  'Phenomenal Woman' and 'Still I Rise'
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  'Caged Bird'
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  'Equality'
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
Which of the sentences below use the word accusatory (or its forms) correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- She accusatory me of taking her sweets when she wasn't looking.
- I like being accused of things; it shows I'm trustworthy.
- I accused him of eating the cake when I saw the crumbs around his mouth. ✓
- Can you accuse him to pick me up? I don't have time to ask.
In Maya Angelou's 'Equality', the speaker says that despite the inequality she has faced, she marches "______" (Stanza five). ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- 'forward' ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

'Equality' sees a speaker demand equality so that she can be "free".
Arguably, the poem presents racial and gender inequality that Angelou experienced as a Black American woman.
'Equality' starts with the word "you" and we could argue that the speaker has an accusatory tone at points in the poem.
Arguably, the speaker's response to the inequality she sees makes it a poem about resilience in the face of inequality.
Linking quotations together when you explore a poem can make your idea more powerful.

Common misconception

Personal opinions in English don't matter. Only analysis is valid.

Being a student of English can often feel like this. But expressing your opinions about your feelings towards a text - those you read in and outside the classroom - is very important and just as much a part of the subject of English as analysis.

Keywords

Civil rights activist - a person who advocates for social and political equality for those who have been denied equal treatment
Accusatory - suggesting someone has done something wrong
Assertive - confident, self-assured
Oppress - to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly