Maya Angelou Assignment

Name: Fatima Yasmeen Ilyas
Date: 4th December 2008

Class: B.A Hons. Semester 7
Module: Poetry (Maya Angelou)
Teacher: Miss Priya Awais
‘NEW DIRECTIONS’ BY MAYA ANGELOU

Maya Angelou, a renowned black American poet, and author has contributed much to the
world of American literature. Being a black writer, Maya Angelou, through her writings
has given voice to the black community who were a suppressed race at that time. Her
book ‘Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now’, is a collection of numerous short
stories and essays, some pertaining to her life, while others being fictional in nature, yet
inspired by her life experiences. The book deals with various profound issues, including
racism, death, Christianity and West African Religious beliefs.1 Her short story, titled
‘New Directions’ is inspired from the story of her Grandmother. It speaks of a woman,
Annie Johnson, who was faced with difficult circumstances but remained strong and rose
against her hardships to eventually provide herself and her beloved children with the
daily bread.
Through this short story, Maya Angelou brings out the limitations of the black
community. She portrays the character of Annie Johnson, an illiterate woman, who
becomes an epitome of strength and forbearance against difficult circumstances. When
Ms. Johnson is left alone by her husband, with only a meager amount of money, two
children to provide for, and only a ‘slight ability to read and add simple numbers’2, her
black colour merely added to the already dismal situation she found herself to be in. She
knew that she could not seek employment in the factories because of her race. However,
Ms. Johnson, did not lose hope, but rather determined to battle against her situation. She
stated:
‘I looked up the road I was going and back the way I come, and since I wasn’t satisfied
I decided to step off the road and cut me a new path’
Unable to work for the two factories, Ms. Johnson cleverly devised a plan to make the
‘two factories work for her’3. She settled herself behind one of the factories and prepared
delicious meat pies for the workers. The workers, carried towards her by the ‘aroma’ of
the meat fried in fat, were tempted to set aside their own lunches and buy the pies from
Ms. Johnson. Having carried out her business on one of the factories, by selling the hot
pies for five cents each, Ms Johnson made her way towards the other factory. Here, she
sold the remaining ‘cooled-down pies’ 4at a discount of three cents each. Ms. Johnson
however provided each factory with hot fresh pies on alternate days, in order to keep up
her appearances with both factory workers. Eventually, when Ms Johnson had earned
sufficient money from these workers, and the workers too had become dependant on her
for their lunch, she set up a stall in the middle of the factories and was able to provide all
1
‘ Maya Angelou’ by Mary Jane Lupton
2
‘New Directions’ by Maya Angelou
3
Ibid
4
Ibid
the workers with fresh pies. This stall, with the passage of time slowly developed into a
proper store, selling a variety of foods and accessories.
Another concept brought forward through this story, by Maya Angelou is that of struggle
with patience. Maya Angelou shows how Ms. Johnson carries out her plan gradually and
with great precision. When she first devised the plan of selling meat pies to the factory
workers, Ms. Johnson decided to put her strength to the test. Before rushing herself and
then finding herself incapable of the task, Ms. Johnson decided to carry pails of rock to
the two factories on the first day. Once she became sure that she was capable of carrying
the load, Ms. Johnson then set herself to prepare the necessary essentials for her business.
Moreover, Maya Angelou points out how, Ms. Johnson gradually gained the trust of the
factory workers, and carried out her business with justice, by selling the cooled down pies
at a discount, and not at the same price. This honesty also helped secure Ms. Johnson her
customers and after earning a substantial amount of money, she was able to afford herself
a stall, and then eventually a proper store. Thus, through the patience of Ms. Johnson
Maya Angelou points out that with patience, constant struggle, and with a strong
determination, any one can bring about a difference in their lives.
Through this short story, Maya Angelou sparks the spirit in every reader to never lose
hope regardless of how grim their circumstances may seem. She points out how Ms
Johnson, could hardly have been considered a literate person, and yet she determined
herself to battle on. Maya Angelou ends her story with a moral, encouraging her readers
to be confident in making the necessary choices in their life. She points out, that every
individual must take advantage of the little talents they may possess and work towards
turning them into something extra ordinary. Moreover, she encourages her readers to
have the confidence of making decisions in their life and being strong to depart from a
certain decision that had once seemed the right one but did not turn out to be so. She
instills in her readers the desire to begin anew with confidence, and ends her story with
an inspiring statement:
‘Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead,
and those over which we have travelled, and if the future road looms ominous or
unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and,
carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another direction.’
The story is inspired from the life experience of Maya Angelou’s grandmother, Annie
Henderson who established this shop in her hometown of Arkansas. This shop continued
to benefit her grandmother in years to come. During the ‘Great Depression’ of America,
her shop experienced no set-backs for it was a shop that ‘sold basic commodities’5. At the
age of three, Maya Angelou and her brother were sent to Arkansas by her father to live
with her grandmother. It is during this stay, that Maya Angelou also became aware of the
racial prejudice dominant in the city of Arkansas. However, through this inspiring story
of her grandmother, Maya Angelou succeeds in kindling the spark of every individual to
live life with a strong sense of determination and will power.
5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou#cite_note-11
REFERENCES:
1. ‘Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now’ by Maya Angelou

2. www.wikipedia.com
3. Google Book results: ‘Maya Angelou’ by Mary Jane Lupton

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Name: Fatima Yasmeen Ilyas

Date: 4th December 2008

‘NEW DIRECTIONS’ BY MAYA ANGELOU

1. ‘Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now’ by Maya Angelou

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