Million Man
March
-Maya Angelou
Imagery
Theme and Idea
The theme of the poem is that black people are
coming together to find strength in each other
to overcome the oppression by the white
people. Showing that they can respect each
other and rise about the unjust treatment they
still receive. The poem ends with a call for
spiritual renewal and a binding together of black
people.
How do the images relate to these ideas?
The spiritual images portray the theme of the black
people uniting in spirit and religion. Coming together
and sharing their strength.
The images of spirit, the references to the “head, “soul”
and “heaven”, encourage the black people to band
together and unite.
Categories.
The images used are grouped into a spiritual
category because they use language such as
“hell”, “soul”, “spirit”. These words have slight
religious references relating to the strength of
the black peoples souls and their spiritual
binding.
Mood
The mood and tone is hopeful and
strengthening, as it is trying to encourage
strength within the black people, there is also a
sense of motivation as it is encouraging the
black people to come together and overcome
the oppression they have experienced. The
mood is uplifting, inspiring black people to stand
up for the rights they deserve.
Tone.
The tone of this part of the poem is hopeful and
enthusiastic about the strength in black people.
It is encouraging towards the idea of black
people coming together in spirit and bonding.
Figurative Language
ALLUSION.
• “stop impostering our own history.”
• “history of pain”.
The last stanza alludes to the black peoples
history of slavery and the previous oppression
their ancestors experienced by the white
people.
METAPHOR.
• “the hells we have lived through and live
through still”.
The oppression of black people is compared to
“hell” referring to how bad the oppression of
their ancestors was and how they still have to
live through that oppression.