Maya Angelou's poetic voice | English | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Match each method to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- commands
  
  ⇔
  
  orders ✓
- refrain
  
  ⇔
  
  repeated line or group of lines in a poem ✓
- tone
  
  ⇔
  
  the attitude of emotion of your voice - written or verbal ✓
Match each word to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- oppression
  
  ⇔
  
  the unjust treatment of a group or individual ✓
- discrimination
  
  ⇔
  
  treating different categories of people unfairly ✓
- sexism
  
  ⇔
  
  treating people unfairly based on their sex ✓
- enslavement
  
  ⇔
  
  the action of making someone a slave ✓
Which of these Maya Angelou poems uses an extended metaphor to explore the idea of oppression and injustice? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- 'Equality'
- 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
- 'Woman Work'
- 'Caged Bird' ✓
- 'Still I Rise'
Which of these poems did Maya Angelou write and perform at President Clinton's inauguration in 1993? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- 'Equality'
- 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
- 'On the Pulse of the Morning' ✓
- 'Caged Bird'
- 'Still I Rise'
Match each Maya Angelou poem to its overall focus ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'Woman Work'
  
  ⇔
  
  a lonely Black female speaker lists the chores she must complete ✓
- 'Phenomenal Woman'
  
  ⇔
  
  an assertive speaker explains why she is so extraordinary ✓
- 'Still I Rise'
  
  ⇔
  
  a defiant speaker explains why she can't be oppressed ✓
- 'Caged Bird'
  
  ⇔
  
  explores the Jim Crow laws through extended metaphor ✓
- 'Equality'
  
  ⇔
  
  a commanding speaker demands equal treatment ✓
Starting with the first, put these Angelou poems in the order they were first published ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  'Woman Work', 'Phenomenal Woman', 'Still I Rise', 'On Aging'
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  'Caged Bird'
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  'Equality'
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  'On the Pulse of the Morning'
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'

Exit quiz

What does it mean when we say Maya Angelou was a prolific poet? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- She was an admired poet.
- She wrote a lot of poems. ✓
- She was asked to speak at a President's inauguration.
- She wrote about oppression and discrimination.
- She started writing when she was young.
Match each word to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- lyrical
  
  ⇔
  
  expressing emotions in an imaginative or unusual way ✓
- forthright
  
  ⇔
  
  direct, straightforward ✓
- defiant
  
  ⇔
  
  boldly disobedient ✓
- prolific
  
  ⇔
  
  producing in large quantities ✓
Why might we make a comment on Maya Angelou's poems as a collection? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- it's the only way you can talk about individual speakers
- to understand why she wrote so many poems
- to show understanding of her as a poet ✓
- so we can analyse her work: you can't analyse individual poems
- to start to consider how you could define her poetic voice ✓
What might we call a poem which expresses emotions in an imaginative or unusual way? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- lively
- lasting
- likeable
- lyrical ✓
- lavish
Which of these sentences use the word 'uplifting' (or its forms) accurately? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- Often, Angelou's speakers have an uplift tone filled with hope.
- 'Woman Work' has an uplifting tone because the speaker is lonely and tired.
- I'm not sure which Angelou poem I find the most uplifting and optimistic. ✓
- After reading a hopeful Angelou poem, I often feel upliftingly.
Which of these sentences use the word 'forthright' (or its forms) accurately? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- Often, Angelou's speakers have a forthright, direct tone. ✓
- Angelou speaks very forthrightly because she uses metaphors.
- Angelou wrote many poems which is why we might describe her as forthright.
- One way Angelou creates a forthright tone is by using command words. ✓
- Often, Angelou confronts the oppression she has faced in a forthright tone. ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

We can explore Angelou's poems as a collection, as well as individually.
Exploring Angelou's poems as a collection allows us to understand her as a poet.
We might make comments on similarities between speakers, ideas and methods across poems.
We can use these comments to consider Angelou's poetic voice as a whole, and suggest the dominant tone across her work.

Common misconception

You shouldn't talk about poems as a group. This will make your comments too general.

You can make clear comments about a poet's work as a whole, as long as these comments are supported by specific examples from specific poems.

Keywords

Forthright - direct, outspoken
Lyrical - expressing emotions in an imaginative or unusual way
Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work; refrain and use of commands are just two examples
Defiant - boldly disobedient
Tone - the attitude of emotion of your voice - written or verbal