Woman Work
by Maya Angelou
Logan A. Cox
Brief Summary
The first stanza of the poem is a list of
chores the mother has to do that day. The
shift occurs after the first stanza and she
talks about her wish for nature to bring her
peace and relaxation. The poem is about the
burdens of a woman and her desire for
relief.
Time Period
“Woman Work” was first published in 1978. Given that
Angelou was born in 1928, had her first child when she
was 17, the poem mentions hand picking cotton and
mechanised cotton picking became prominent by the
late 1960s, it is safe to assume that “Woman Work”
takes place in the 1950s in the southern United States.
Style
The style of the poem is closest to Lyric
poetry. Exemplified by the lack of
action in the poem and the insight it
provides into the protagonist’s state of
mind.
Theme
Some themes brought up in the poem are
exhaustion, relentlessness, responsibility,
expectation, loneliness, isolation, and
relief. The overall message is that to be a
woman is to work.
Thesis
In “Woman Work” Maya Angelou
creates a thankless, stressful depiction
of womanhood that is heightened by
the structure of the poem itself.
Topic Sentences
-The first half of the poem conveys hard reality of
work through implications and staccato sentences.
-The second half demonstrates the desperation for
relief by turning to fanciful language and escapism.
Work Cited
Angelou, Maya. "Woman Work." And Still I Rise. United States: Random House, 1978. Print.
Bardhan, Shreya. "Woman Work Analysis by Maya Angelou." Beaming Notes. 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 23
Jan. 2015.
"Maya Angelou." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
Ganzel, Bill. "Cotton Harvesting during the 1950s and 60s." Cotton Harvesting during the 1950s and
60s. 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
"Original Pronunciation." Original Pronunciation. Ed. David Crystal. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
<http://originalpronunciation.com/>.
AP Prompt
Angelou creates meaning through the contrast of two halves of the
poem. The first half lists the literal work that the woman must do. The
second half uses figurative language, hyperbole, and
anthropomorphization to express the desire for escape or rest. The tone
in the first half is quick and joyless. A barrage of neverending tasks that
stresses even the reader to think about. The second half conjures an
appreciation of nature, but also hints at a desperation for recess from
the unending work. A slower reading and breaks in the stanzas help
create a reprieve for the reader as well as the woman in question.
Annotation
I've got the children to tend
The clothes to mend
The floor to mop
The food to shop
Then the chicken to fry
The baby to dry
I got company to feed
The garden to weed
I've got shirts to press
The tots to dress
The cane to be cut
I gotta clean up this hut
Then see about the sick
And the cotton to pick.
Quick, stunted couplets. Minimal syllables.
Chores are menial and all encompassing. Manual
labour done as well. Principal caregiver.
Expected to maintain social customs as well.
Multiple kids, no father mentioned. Single
mother.
Lives in hut, picks cotton. Low economic class.
Literal descriptions. Grueling, stressful and
constant.
Annotation
Fall gently, snowflakes
Cover me with white
Cold icy kisses and
Let me rest tonight.
Sun, rain, curving sky
Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone
Star shine, moon glow
You're all that I can call my own.
Anthropomorphizing snow. Desire for
kisses reflect desire for romantic
interest/support.
Turning to nature highlights emotional
solitude.
Her own internal appreciation of nature
is all she has. Gives every other aspect of
herself to external pressures. Time,
energy, food, body, caring, WORK.
Annotation
Shine on me, sunshine
Rain on me, rain
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again.
Storm, blow me from here
With your fiercest wind
Let me float across the sky
'Til I can rest again.
Change in poem structure.
Romanticizing nature. Appealing to
non-conscious forces.
Ambiguous rhyme structure.
Hyperbole.
Pauses in poem reflect internal desire
for pause from work.
Annotation
The poem is divided into two halves. The first half is a series of couplets describing the work that the woman
must do. The second half is four stanzas that are a sort of prayer of respite. An appeal to nature for relief.
The first stanza is composed of 7 pairs of couplets. They follow an AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF, GG pattern.
The second, third, fourth, and fifth stanzas all contain four lines each. At first it appears that the second and
third stanzas have no internal rhyme scheme. Each line within the second stanza does not rhyme and each line
within the third stanza does not rhyme. The last word of the second and third stanza do however repeat the
word “again.” This gives a rhyme scheme of ABCD, EFGD.
Although no mention of this was found I propose an alternate reading. If you change the pronunciation of the
second and fourth lines of the second and third stanzas you will get more coherent rhyme scheme.
Annotation
Where:
Shine on me, sunshine
Rain on me, rain
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again.
Should be pronounced:
Shine on me, sunshine
Renn on me, renn
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again.
Storm, blow me from here
With your fiercest wind
Let me float across the sky
'Til I can rest again.
Storm, blow me from here
With your fiercest ween
Let me float across the sky
'Til I can rest ageen.
Annotation
This creates a more internally consistent rhyme scheme throughout the entirety of the poem. Evidence can be
seen in the fourth and fifth stanzas. The second and fourth line of both those stanzas have clear rhymes in
them. Where “white” is rhymed with “tonight,” and “stone” is rhymed with “own,” correspondingly. When you
compare the rhyme scheme of the entire poem it is clear which is the most likely reading.
Non-accented Pronunciation:
AABBCCDDEEFFGG, xxxH, xxxH, xIxI, xJxJ
Accented Pronunciation:
AABBCCDDEEFFGG, xHxH, xIxI, xJxJ, xKxK
Where (x) = non-rhyming lines.
This is objectively the most logical solution as well as a subjectively more pleasing version.
Annotation
Additionally, this pronunciation is consistent with Maya Angelou. Angelou, being born in
Missouri had a southern accent and would have written from the perspective of a
southern accent. Which is typified by a blurring of vowels. This also reinforces the
southern labour aspect of the ‘work’ portion of the poem. An irrefutable picture is painted
of a southern African American woman relentlessly working for her family, her home,and
her guests. Hardly a moment to herself, save a brief appreciation of nature.
Also worth noting is that the occurrence of pronunciation affecting reading is not unique
to this instance. Performances of Shakespeare have been put on at the Old Globe theater
that use what is called “original pronunciation.” This has opened up new puns and new
insight into the plays.