Transcript OLD FOLKS - CII Broadcasting

OLD FOLKS
MAYA ANGELOU
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Born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis,
Missouri, Dr. Angelou was raised in
St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. In
Stamps, Dr. Angelou experienced the
brutality of racial discrimination, but
she also absorbed the unshakable
faith and values of traditional AfricanAmerican family, community, and
culture.
Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most
renowned and influential voices of
our time. Hailed as a global
renaissance woman, Dr. Angelou is a
celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist,
educator, dramatist, producer,
actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil
rights activist.
OLD FOLKS
• They have spent their
content of simpering,
holding their lips this
and that way, winding
the lines between
their brows. Old folks
allow their bellies to jiggle like slow
tambourines.
The hollers
rise up and spill
over any way they want.
When old folks laugh, they free the world.
They turn slowly, slyly knowing
the best and the worst
of remembering.
5
10
15
• Saliva glistens in
the corners of their mouths,
their heads wobble
on brittle necks, but
their laps
20
are filled with memories.
When old folks laugh, they consider the promise
of dear painless death, and generously
forgive life for happening
to them.
25
SUMMARY
• This poem describes how old people no longer
have to control their expressions and worry
about things. They are now free to laugh as
they wish. They welcome death that will
release them. They have made peace with all
that has occurred in their lives.
Vocabulary
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Spent – used up; depleted
Content – satisfied
Simpering - grinning
Jiggle – shake; rattle
Tamborines – a musical instrumental
Hollers – howls
Glistens – shines;glints
Wobble – shake;tremble
Brittle – fragile; weak;breakable
• They have spent their
content of simpering,
holding their lips this
and that way, winding
the lines between
their brows. Old folks
allow their bellies to jiggle
like slow
tambourines.
The hollers
rise up and spill
over any way they want.
When old folks laugh, they
free the world.
• Lines 1 – 12 : describes how
they laugh, unconcerned
about their physical
appearance and have a
sense of freedom. They
have stopped complaining
and frowning and laugh
quite spontaneously instead
about what their bodies do.
• When old folks laugh, they free
the world.
They turn slowly, slyly knowing
the best and the worst
of remembering.
• Saliva glistens in
the corners of their mouths,
their heads wobble
on brittle necks, but
their laps
are filled with memories.
When old folks laugh, they
consider the promise
of dear painless death, and
generously
forgive life for happening
to them.
• Lines 13 – 25: deals with their
memories that are both good and
bad.
• They have spent their
content of simpering,
• holding their lips this
and that way, winding
the lines between their
brows.
• They have gone through
the phase of their life
when they controlled
their expressions.
• Old folks allow their bellies to jiggle like slow
tambourines.
• Tambourines make a celebratory sound. It has
connotations of a happy, joyful sound.
• The hollers
rise up and spill
over any way they want.
Their laughter is loud, spontaneous and
uncontrolled – a sound that reflects pure joy.
When old folks laugh, they free the world.
Their lack of restraint inspires the rest of us to
throw off some of the cares of the world.
• They turn slowly, slyly knowing
the best and the worst
of remembering.
• Connotations of ‘slyly’ – secrecy; cunning.
• They have life experience and may know things that the rest of us do not
know, or not have experienced.They have good and bad memories.
• Saliva glistens in
the corners of their mouths,
their heads wobble
on brittle necks
• Saliva may be seen at the corners of their lips;
• Their heads move about and may shake because their necks are now
weakened by age – maybe osteoporosis (brittleness of bones).
• but their laps
are filled with memories.
• Although their bodies may be weak they still have
a fortune in memories.
• Connotations of ‘laps’: warm, loving, comfortable
• Children and grandchildren were carried on laps
so they have experience with child rearing and a
wealth of memories associated with the
experiences.
• When old folks laugh, they consider the
promise
of dear painless death,
• Their bodies are weak and in pain, so the
elderly welcome death in order to escape the
physical pain. They hope for a pain-free life
after death or they wish to die without any
pain and suffering.
• and generously
forgive life for happening
to them.
• They forgive all the sad happenings in their life
and are not bitter. They have made peace with
life and know that death is inevitable.
Figures of Speech
Simile
‘Old folks allow their bellies to jiggle like slow
tambourines’
Their bellies are compared to tambourines
because of the gentle movements and the
sounds they make when they giggle or laugh
quietly.
• Alliteration
• slowly, slyly
• The alliteration slows the pace of the line to
match the slow movement of the old people.
Colloquialisms
• Colloquialisms ‘folk’, ‘holler’
• are used to make the poem sound more
direct and personal.
Tone
• The tone is light-hearted; conversational
• The word ‘but’ in line 19 indicates a change of
tone.
• The tone becomes more serious. They hope
their deaths would be a release from pain OR
that they may have a painless death.
Form
• It is written in free verse using the natural
rhythms of ordinary speech to establish a
• conversational tone.
QUESTIONS
• 1. Describe in your own words what old
people have finished doing in lines one to six,
according to the speaker.
(2)
• 2.Comment on the lines: ‘slyly knowing / the
best and the worst /of remembering’.
(3)
• 3. Identify and explain the figure of speech in
lines 6-8: ‘Old folks
allow their bellies to jiggle like slow
tambourines.’
(3)
• 4. How does the diction used contribute to the
theme of the poem? List and discuss a few
chosen words in your answer.
(3)
• Prepared by Yesheni Nair
MEMO
• 1. Old people have finished containing and checking
their actions and emotions - ahiding their true selves.
• 2. The lines: ‘slyly knowing / the best and the worst / of
• remembering’, refer to old people’s wisdom. Their lives
have
• been good and bad, but their memory accentuates the
positive
• rather than the negative. They teach the rest of us to
not only
• focus on what brings us down.
• 3. Simile
• The figure of speech is used because it shows that old people have
no restraints when they show their joy. Their bodies are no longer
muscular and lean, but it does not matter because their laughter is
sincere and it is expressed with their whole selves.
• 4. The diction used contributes to the theme of the poem because
• the words have a positive implication. Words, such as: ‘laugh’,
• ‘free’, ‘memories’, ‘generously’ and ‘life’, imply that old people
• have learned to accept life as it happens and to enjoy it as far
• as they can without obsessing over the negative. They also
• move away from the physical and turn towards their spiritual
• selves because they have learned that this is where joy
• originates. This wisdom is expressed when they laugh.