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Year 8

An introduction to Maya Angelou's distinctive voice: ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’

I can explore Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' with a focus on the speaker's distinctive voice.

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New
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Year 8

An introduction to Maya Angelou's distinctive voice: ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’

I can explore Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' with a focus on the speaker's distinctive voice.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American poet and civil rights activist.
  2. Angelou's poems have a distinctive voice.
  3. Figurative language, repetition and an assertive tone are three ways Angelou creates a distinctive voice in her work.
  4. Arguably, the speaker in 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' is presented as assertive.
  5. You could argue that the speaker in 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' is only pretending to be assertive.

Common misconception

'Life Doesn't Frighten Me' is saying that life isn't scary.

The poem lists many scary and frightening things. It presents some of the world's dangers. The speaker, however, is not frightened of life despite these dangers.

Keywords

  • Civil rights activist - a person who advocates for social and political equality for those who have been denied equal treatment

  • Figurative language - non-literal phrases or words which develop a writer's meaning

  • Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work; repetition and figurative language are just two examples

  • Distinctive - something that is appealing and interesting because of its recognisable or special qualities

  • Assertive - confident, self-assured

The reading of the poem is at the heart of this lesson. Consider how you will read it with pupils, or support their reading of it in Learning Cycle 1. Consider if watching Angelou herself perform the poem might serve as inspiration.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need access to a copy of 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' by Maya Angelou published by Penguin Random House in 1993.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a stanza? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
a poet's use of rhyme in a poem
Correct answer: a verse of grouped lines in a poem
a story
a poem
Q2.
Maya Angelou was born in St Louis, Missouri. Which continent is this in? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Correct answer: North America
South America
Asia
Africa
Europe
Q3.
Match each technique to its definition. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Correct Answer:repetition,the intentional recurrence of a word or phrase

the intentional recurrence of a word or phrase

Correct Answer:commands,using the verb form to give an order e.g. stand up

using the verb form to give an order e.g. stand up

Correct Answer:similes,comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'

comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'

Correct Answer:metaphor,comparing two things using the verb 'to be'

comparing two things using the verb 'to be'

Q4.
Which of these are examples of commands? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Let's sit down.
Correct answer: Hurry over here, please.
Correct answer: Don't only eat chocolate for lunch.
I stood boldly in front of them.
Q5.
Which of these is an example of a simile? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
The bird didn't like being trapped in its cage.
As far I'm concerned, she's a phenomenal woman.
Her eyes burned with the fire of a thousand suns.
Correct answer: I will never give up; like the sun, I will always rise to fight another day.
Life doesn't frighten me.
Q6.
Which of these are examples of metaphors? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Correct answer: Her eyes were ablaze: pure liquid fire.
Correct answer: My body is an ocean – powerful and strong.
I am always going to fight for equality.
She sang like a song bird.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each method to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:repetition,the intentional recurrence of a word or phrase

the intentional recurrence of a word or phrase

Correct Answer:assertive language ,words that reveal the speaker to be confident and self-assured

words that reveal the speaker to be confident and self-assured

Correct Answer:figurative language ,non-literal phrases or words which develop a writer's meaning

non-literal phrases or words which develop a writer's meaning

Q2.
What award did Angelou receive from President Barack Obama in 2011? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
the Poet Laureate prize
a Pulitzer Prize for Literature
the Nobel Prize for Freedom
Correct answer: the Presidential Medal for Freedom
the Presidential Medal for Literature
Q3.
Maya Angelou was a poet, but she was also a rights activist, advocating for social and political equality.
Correct Answer: civil
Q4.
One of Maya Angelou's poems is called ' Woman' ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer: Phenomenal
Q5.
In Maya Angelou's poem 'Equality', the speaker says that she stands " " before the people who try and oppress her ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer: boldy
Q6.
In Maya Angelou's poem 'Phenomenal Woman', the speaker says that she has " " in her eyes ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer: fire