Touched by An Angel - Maya Angelou

CONNECT THE TITLE TO THE POEM

Angel is very nice. The author uses Angel in the title of this poem is really wants to get the nice things to the women. However, the author wants the angel to protect the women, whether they are in love or they are alone.

IMAGERY

Tone

- positive

• seeing - live coiled in shells of loneliness(in stanza 1)
• seeing - until love leaves its high holy temple(in stanza 1)
• seeing - and in its train come ecstasies(in stanza 2)

TYPE OF POEM

• impressionistic poem

The poet wants the women get out of their shadow and then take a big step to join into a big family of love, even they lose care of something. Nevertheless, do not try to hide the love, because love will get you a big encouragement in your life and make your life better and more colorful.

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Mood

Theme

RHYTHM & RHYMING SCHEME

In the bad situation, you’d better step out of the bad mood and then be brave to accept love. Women should be involve themselves in love, whatever them had meet before. That will be a great response for them. It will be the strongest feeling than anything.

• encourage
• hopeful
• do not despair

Figurative Language

• M - live coiled in shells of loneliness (in stanza 1)

-comparing the way some women live

-helpless, alone, pain, unhappy; the importance of love; a medicine to cure them

• P - love arrives and in its train come ecstasies (in stanza 2)

-love cannot in a train but human can

-happy to be with you at anytime; friendly

• P - Yet if we bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls (in stanza 2)

-giving human ability strikes away to love

-strong; ignore all insecurities;

• M - we are weaned from our timidity (in stanza 3)

-comparing women to babies

-do not have the courage to accept the love; great power

• no rhythm
• no rhyming scheme
• no repetition

Alliteration

• love leaves (in stanza 1)
• high holy (in stanza 1)
• love’s light (in stanza 3)

Onomatopoeia

• no onomatopoeia

THE POET

• Maya Angelou
• April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
• black women
• feminist

• a famous American author, poet, dancer, actor and singer
• received dozens of awards and more than 30 honorary degrees

THE STORY OF POEM

- literal level

This poem is representing the women in USA. They might had been hurt their heart from the society. They are longing to be love and to be free. So, they want love but they also fear of love. They do not want anything to hurt them again. But love is a wonderful thing; it can heal their wound and no scar left.

Touched by An Angel

We, unaccustomed to courage

exiles from delight

live coiled in shells of loneliness

until love leaves its high holy temple

and comes into our sight

to liberate us into life.

Love arrives

and in its train come ecstasies

old memories of pleasure

ancient histories of pain.

Yet if we are bold,

love strikes away the chains of fear

from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity

In the flush of love's light

we dare be brave

And suddenly we see

that love costs all we are

and will ever be.

Yet it is only love

which sets us free.

vocabulary:

unaccustomed - not familiar and unusual

courage - to face danger or pain without showing fear

exiles - expelled from a country

temple - a building devoted to the worship

liberate - set (someone) free from a situation

ecstasy - a feeling of great happiness or joyful

wean - to stop drinking the milk from the mother

timidity - fear of the unknown

Touched by An Angel

- Maya Angelou