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When I Lay My Burden Downby Maya Angelou

• Innocence Unit
• Non-Fiction
• ECHSEnglish I
• C. Edge

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Vocabulary

• impudent -- adj. shamelessly disrespectful rude
• agitation n. stirring up disturbance or
  excitement
• paranoia n. mental disorder that often causes
  people to believe they are being persecuted

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Vocabulary

• apparitions n. strange ghostlike figures
• appellations n. names titles
• servile adj. humbly submissive like a slave

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Literary Elements

• Biographythe story of someones life written by
  someone else
• Autobiographythe written story the writers own
  life
• Diary a daily record, usually private, esp. of
  the writer's own experiences, observations,
  feelings, attitudes, etc.

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Literary Elements

• objectivity judgment based on observable
  phenomena and uninfluenced by emotions or
  personal prejudices 
• we want a biography to be objective
• this requires research
• we do not want the authors prejudices to distort
  the selection
• subjectivity judgment based on individual
  personal impressions and feelings and opinions
  rather than external facts 
• we want the writer to get personal and emotional
• the writers prejudice will be evident
• Is this selection more objective or subjective?
  Why?
• Obviously, this selection is more subjective
  since she is telling about her feelings about the
  events in her life.

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Literary Elements

• bias a particular tendency or inclination, esp.
  one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a
  question prejudice.
• What bias do you recognize in this selection?
• The bias is the false viewpoint that blacks are
  inferior to whites no matter what the situation.
  This is revealed by the girls and their treatment
  of Momma.

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Literary Elements

• imagery language that appeals to one or more of
  our sensessights, hearing, smell, taste, or
  touch
• Explain the idiom cleanliness is next to
  godliness.
• Being clean is a good thing because the way
  people perceive you is a large part of your
  character.

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Literary Elements

• metaphor figure of speech that makes a
  comparison between two unlike things, in which
  one thing becomes another thing without the use
  of the word like, as, than, or resembles.
• List three metaphors from the text of the story
  and explain them.
• I burst. A firecracker July-the-Fourth burst.
  p. 360
• Her face was a brown moon that shone on me. p.
  361

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Literary Elements

• symbol person, place, thing, or event that
  stands for itself and for something beyond itself
  as well
• What might the narrators final yard design
  symbolize?
• It could symbolize the growth of her heart
  through the infinite nature of love and the pain
  of life through such experiences.

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Selection Question, 1

• Explain the importance of rules and order in the
  narrators life as described in the very
  beginning of the story. (p. 357-358)
• The importance of rules and order in her life
  emphasizes the contrast between her family and
  that of the powhitetrash.

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Selection Question, 2

• Who owns the store and why is this significant
  and/or ironic, given the setting and characters
  in the story? (p. 358)
• Mayas grandmother owns the store and this is
  ironic because she is a black woman who is
  mistreated in her own store by small white
  children, but cannot do anything about it because
  of the culture of the time.

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Selection Question, 3

• How do the powhitetrash differ?
• The powhitetrash are dirty, rude, and ignorant.
  They misuse their position of authority over
  Momma since that is the only sense of power
  they have.

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Selection Question, 4

• Why do the powhitetrash children mock Momma?
  Discuss the reasons why people would be so cruel
  to another person. Why are children occasionally
  cruel to an innocent adult?
• Possibly, they are bored and want excitement, or
  they have low status in society and want to feel
  superior to someone or they know that societys
  unwritten rules forbid Momma to lash back.
  Children may be cruel to adults when they want to
  feel powerful or lash out at authority or when
  they have no fear of consequences.

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Selection Question, 5

• List three examples of how the powhitetrash
  show disrespect in the store. (p. 358)
• The powhitetrash mess with the products, they
  call Momma and Mayas uncle by their first names,
  and they order them around as if they were grown
  ups.

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Selection Question, 6

• List three responses the narrator has toward the
  events that take place on Mommas porch. (p.
  359-360)
• She wants to beg Momma to go inside and let her
  handle them since she wont get in much trouble
  for lashing out, she is afraid for Momma that she
  wont be able to restrain herself amidst the
  taunts of the girls, and she wants to get the gun
  and shoot them.

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Selection Question, 7

• Why does Momma stand and take the abuse from the
  children without responding?
• She takes the abuse because she doesnt want to
  stoop to their level. She faces the abuse with
  integrity and pride and never loses her dignity.

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Selection Question, 8

• Describe the narrators perspective. How does
  she view Momma?
• She views Momma as strong and courageous, but
  feels pity for the abuse she must endure.

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Selection Question, 9

• How do the powhitetrash view Momma?
• They view Momma as inferior to them, regardless
  of the fact that they are below her on all levels
  except societys unwritten caste system.

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Selection Question, 10

• What lesson does the narrator learn from this
  scene?
• One possible lesson that the narrator learns from
  this scene is that sometimes fighting back means
  not fighting at allthat keeping ones dignity is
  more important than making someone pay for their
  own ignorance.

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Selection Question, 11

• What does Angelou mean when she says Whatever
  the contest had been out front, I knew Momma had
  won? Do you agree? Why, or why not?
• Angelou may mean that the girls were trying to
  get Momma to respond to their taunts in order to
  get her in trouble, but because she kept her cool
  and refused to stoop to their level, she kept her
  dignity and proved that she was the better
  person. Some people may disagree and say that
  because the girls got away with their behavior,
  Momma was not the winner.

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Selection Question, 12

• During the incident, Momma doesnt say a word
  until the girls are leaving. What do you imagine
  she is thinking? Why do you think she thinks
  this way?
• During the incident, Momma might be thinking
  about disciplining the girls or she might be
  praying for self-control or freedom from the
  girls taunts.

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Selection Question, 13

• On page 359, Angelou says that when Momma sees
  the girls approaching, she sags from the waist
  down but from the top seems to be pulling for the
  top of an oak tree. Exactly what does this image
  make you see? What do you think Momma is
  feeling?
• The image that some people see is that of a big,
  strong oak tree standing tall. Momma may feel
  fear, sadness, anger, or pity.

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Selection Question, 14

• Angelou takes some time to tell us about what is
  considered good behavior and courtesy in her
  family. What was her purpose for doing this?
  How does she want you to feel about her familys
  rules?
• Angelou describes her familys rules so that
  readers can understand her shock and anger at the
  girls behavior. She wants readers to admire her
  familys standards of behavior.