The Lesson by Maya Angelou

The Lesson

I keep on dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping
Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live. 

Maya Angelou



Commentary:

From the moment I read the title, I knew this poem was going to have some kind of moral or advice to it.
After I read the poem, I began to reflect about my life. I do not have any big struggles to face. I just go to school and go home. My life is not complicated. And even though it is not complicated, I struggle with the things I must do everyday. As I grow, I will began to see that the struggles today are nothing compared to the struggles awaiting for me.
After I read the poem, I noticed an abundance of figurative language. First of all, she uses a simile. In, "Veins collapse, opening like the small fists of sleeping children," Maya Angelou compares the veins to the small fists. Here she expresses the consequence of enduring so many struggles in her life. Next, the author uses personification. She gives years and cold defeat the human quality to live. As one ages, one can start to see the wrinkles all along the face. She uses personification to be more descriptive with her audience. After reading this, the reader can visualize the lines on the face that start to appear with age. At last, she uses a paradox. She completely contradicts herself offering a reason to why she endures so many challenges in her life. She loves to live. To live is to struggle. This paradox brings a new idea to the poem that she loves to live and will be willing to face any new struggles along the way just to keep living.