A Call For Equality: Maya Angelou And Lawrence Otis Graham

A Call for Equality Until the end of the Civil Rights Movement in 1968, blacks in America were segregated and harshly treated as inferiors by much of society. Such cruel acts have shown the extent of society 's ignorance towards the essence of humanity. Many question the impact of such segregation and racism, which can be directly found in the stories of black’s who suffer from it. Examples of such victims of racial discrimination are Maya Angelou and Lawrence Otis Graham. In “Finishing School” Angelou describes her experiences as a black maid in the South during the 1930’s, working in a white household. Lawrence Otis Graham’s “The ‘Black Table’ Is Still There” recounts his observation of exposure to the normality of segregation in his predominantly
Angelou uses alliteration to draw attention to key pieces, especially in her use of “dainty doilies”(Angelou 107). Angelou uses such alliteration to call to the silly livelihood for her white masters. It also better describes her unhappiness when being trained to do such unnecessary and pointless work around the house, instead of being able to seek out a path of her own. Catalogs are used in a similar way to alliteration, as seen when Angelou describes the kitchen of her masters, full of “goblets, sherbet glasses, ice-cream glasses, wine glasses, green glass coffee cups with matching saucers, and water glasses”(Angelou 108). Through such a long list, it is better shown that such extravagance only complicates matters and makes life more difficult. Angelou also shows the stark reality that the white women that come to visit the house know how to use each individual cup correctly, yet can not remember her by her real name because it is too long. Using diction techniques better calls to the underlying problems that Angelou
Graham uses modal verbs often when he questions his reader, such as in the line, “I would like to think my decision was a heroic one”(Graham 346). Graham recollects on his past actions, and questions whether, in hindsight, the action was a correct one. Graham uses such modal verbs to ease into his rationing of interest segregation, and how it would have affected him one way or another. Like Angelou, Graham uses catalogs, yet uses them to better cement his persona as an educated man that was, “often being the first and only black person integrating such activities and institutions as the college newspaper...summer music camps...or my private social club at Harvard Law School”(Graham 345). Such involvement and education display how knowledgeable Graham is in life and that his opinion does hold weight. He sets up an educated tone for the work to appeal to a sophisticated audience that will understand and act upon the issue he addresses. Graham’s deliberate word choice and placement aid in bringing himself into the