Key Differences In Maya Angelou's Speech

When looking at the poem Human Family, by Maya Angelou, and in the speech given by Barack Obama on race, there are some key differences as well as a key similarity between the two. They share a common belief that all humans are equal, and should be treated as such. As both texts are closely looked at, there are many small differences on their approach to the subject and how they get their points across throughout the timeframe. In Human Family, the author portrays the theme of equality and unison through comparison and contrast to the minor differences in the human race, and then tying them together in our similarities. A good example of this is in the 7th stanza of the poem. It reads, “We love and lose in China, we weep on England’s moors, and laugh and moan in Guinea, and thrive on Spanish shores.” There is an obvious contrast between all of these places but with this next quote the reader can see how Angelou ties it back together. From stanza 9, “I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are …show more content…
An instant difference between this and the poem is that in Obama’s speech, he is talking about the unison of a sole country, compared to that of the whole world. In the 2nd to last paragraph he states this clearly, “I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.” With that statement, we see that he is not really trying to address the entire “human family”, but more “the American family”. He also references the specific issue of equality that is race and slavery. In paragraph 3 of the speech he introduces this topic, “It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies…” So, with this focus on a single nation and a single facet of equality, the reader can see the clear difference between Human Family and this

Show More

Related Documents: Key Differences In Maya Angelou's Speech

Critical Thinking, Reading, And Writing