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The poet looks at the process of aging. She calls for understanding, not pity. The person beneath the
aging body, she says, is still the same person who was always there, even though her body is slowing.
Nevertheless, the sense should be one of gratitude and not sympathy.
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 area
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:
"When you see me walking, stumbling,
Don't study and get it wrong.
'Cause tired don't mean lazy
And every goodbye ain't gone."
- What is the significance of the words, "Don't study and get it wrong"? (4)
[Need help?]
The woman holds to the theme that her spirit represents her intrinsic value. She does not want people
to study her external features -- e.g. her stumbling walk -- and conclude that her spirit too is stumbling.
As an aging person, she does indeed get tired but that does not mean she is lazy. On the contrary, she
still has her old zest for life. It just takes her body much longer to do anything.
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- What would people usually think when they saw someone "walking,
stumbling"? (4)
[Need help?]
Someone who is "walking, stumbling" is usually out of control. A drunk person, for instance, would
stumble while walking.
There is also the hint that the person's mind itself is no longer fully sound and capable.
Such a person is therefore deteriorating in both mind and body, is becoming less of a human being and
needs looking after.
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- What does the person mean when she says, "And every goodbye ain't
gone"? (2)
[Need help?]
"Every goodbye ain't gone" restates her belief that she is not yet dead. She still has life in her. She
still has many "goodbyes" left in her before she does eventually die.
In other words, a person may still visit her many times before she dies, and each visit will end with another
"goodbye".
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"I'm the same person I was back then,
A little less hair, a little less chin,
A lot less lungs and much less wind.
But ain't I lucky I can still breathe in."
- How could the aging person be "the same person I was back then"? (4)
[Need help?]
Many people age physically, but not mentally. Even though one may be 80 years of age, mentally one
could still be about 25. That is, of course, the great tragedy of aging because these elderly people
become frustrated that their bodies will no longer do what their mind and spirit wants them to do.
In this poem, therefore, the woman says that her body might be old but her person -- i.e. her mind or her
spirit -- is still as eager and full of life as she was "back then" when she was young. True, her hair
has grown thin, her chin has sagged, her lungs do not work efficiently but she is nevertheless still very
much alive in thought.
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- Comment on the words, "But ain't I lucky I can still breathe in." Why does the poet not use a
question mark? (4)
[Need help?]
The aging person still looks on the positive side of life. Her body is indeed aging but she is still very much
alive. It is her mind, not her body, which is important. Indeed, her body is merely a shell to house her
mind.
By not using a question mark, the poet is able to ask a question but at the same time simply make a
statement.
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GENERAL QUESTIONS:
"Climax" is a language device which is used to enhance the meaning and power of poetry.
- What is meant by "climax"? (2)
[Need help?]
A climax is a series of words or events arranged in order of increasing importance, e.g. "He came, he
saw, he conquered."
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- Explain the poet's use of climax in the final four lines of this poem. (4)
[Need help?]
The poet speaks of "A little less hair, a little less chin", then increases in intensity to "A lot less
lungs and much less wind". Finally, the poet reaches the climax of being so lucky to be alive: "But
ain't I lucky I can still breathe in."
From things of lesser importance, therefore, the poet reaches out to a statement that is rich in meaning
and importance.
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Does the poet paint a positive or a negative picture of old age? Explain. (4)
[Need help?]
The poet does paint the negative features of aging: the slowing and stiffening of the body, the aches and
pains, the deteriorating looks "like a sack left on the shelf" and "a little less hair, a little less
chin", the shortage of breath, etc.
Nevertheless, she still sees something very positive in old age. The aging person still has her thoughts,
she still has life -- and, as long as she is alive, she is still a fully human being, still something of value.
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The poet is an African American. How does she reveal this within the poem? (4)
[Need help?]
Have a look at some typical African American expressions like:
- "Don't bring me no rocking chair"
- "'Cause tired don't mean lazy | And every goodbye ain't gone."
- "But ain't I lucky I can still breathe in."
Notice too the American spelling of "favor".
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