A Brave and Startling Truth (Angelou)

A Brave and Startling Truth, Maya Angelou (1995)

I saw this in the school library, a slim volume of poetry, and I needed something to read while I was on hallway duty.

I am not going to critique Maya Angelou, but I will comment. First off, this wasn't a collection, it is a single poem, which she read at the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. It is about the people of this planet coming together, united.

To talk about my usual poetry complaints: they aren't here. This is free verse that is pleasant and pleasurable to read. The line breaks make sense. The page breaks (which would be stanza breaks) make sense.

Also, I love the imagery and word choice. Just to pick a couple of lines out:

When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate
And the faces sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean

Minstrel shows are offensive. The characters have faces blackened with soot (or makeup), and the players scrub them clean afterward. "Sooted with scorn" carries so many meanings here. That's what I like about poetry, when it accomplishes this.

Otherwise, poetry is not a preference of mine much any more.

Library catalog number 811 ANG C.4

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