Tuesday, December 6

A little bit of literature

"Knowing Momma, I knew that I never knew Momma. Her African-bush secretiveness and suspiciousness had been compounded by slavery and confirmed by centuries of promises made and promises broken. We have a saying among Black Americans which describes Momma’s caution. “If you ask a Negro where he’s been, he’ll tell you where he’s going.” To understand this important information, it is necessary to know who uses this tactic and on whom it works.

[…]

The world had ended, and I was the only person who knew it. People walked along the streets as if the pavements hadn’t all crumbled beneath their feet. They pretended to breathe in and out while all the time I knew the air had been sucked away in a monstrous inhalation from God Himself. I alone was suffocating in the nightmare.”

Vocabulary build-up

The noun negro means “a black person; a member of any of the dark-skinned indigenous peoples of Africa and their descendants elsewhere.” Do not use the pejorative word “nigger” in your translations.

The adverb beneath means “In a lower place; below; underneath; directly under.” Close synonyms are “below”, “under”, “underneath”.

Comments:

Maya Angelou was a prolific writer, poet, and political activist. Perhaps she was best known for her first memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She became one of the most influential voices of the late 1900s and early 2000s. Known for her deeply emotional and profound writing as well as her resounding wisdom, Maya Angelou wrote seven autobiographies as well as dozens of poems and essays that continue to showcase her memorable voice long after her passing in 2014. Angelou uses her autobiography to explore subjects such as identity, rape, racism, and literacy. She also writes in new ways about women's lives in a male-dominated society. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was nominated for a National Book Award in 1970 and remained on The New York Times paperback bestseller list for two years. But the book's graphic depiction of childhood rape, racism, and sexuality has caused numerous challenges for her.