Why You should Learn from Success
Graduating from Middle School is hard enough, but it is harder when one is considered a minority. Regardless of one’s race rather Hispanic, African American, or Asian, the statics are against the individual. In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation,” the main character accomplishes a monumental milestone when she graduates from middle school despite having limited resources, being black, being belittled by a politician and notwithstanding her circumstances.
By virtue, many schools for blacks had limited resources. Unlike central High School, which had “ivy bushes climbing” the buildings, separate basketball courts, and a baseball field, Lafayette County Training school had none of those. It consisted of a limited baseball diamond and “two buildings. ”The situation was so dire that before anybody could borrow one of the few balls they had, the coach must view one worth of touching the ball. The situation the students were in at Lafayette showed that the two schools were not equal. Things commonly perceived as a minor achievement in today’s standards were over-celebrated, such as graduating middle school.
Maya Angelou had a less fortunate life due to the fact that she was black. It is common knowledge that minorities dominate the charts for low-income households. This is no different with Maya Angelou whose family lived in “Stamps,” Arkansas. Furthermore, blacks are regulated to manual labor and farming jobs due to the fact that they were perceived as not having the same intellect and ability as the common white man. She even mentioned that she “had no control over her life. ”It set the tone for the last part of the writing as it shows that she truly gave up on what was such a massive accomplishment before. That was until Henry Reed, the valedictorian, started to read the “Negro national anthem. “This shows that it was easy for her to be picked on due to her color.
The politician was very driven to make sure that the children from Lafayette County Training School know that they were not as good as everyone else. The politician “exposed” them. He made their accomplishment look as if it was nothing. While graduating middle school might not be the largest thing to everyone, Maya Angelou’s friends and family were all supportive of it. Mr. Donleavy’s words showed the exact opposite. He pointed out how they were “maids and farmers, handymen and washerwomen. ” Which made Maya Angelou feel as if everything she has learned and worked on was for nothing. He treated the graduation speech as if it was not of importance. Unlike Mr. Donleavy intended to make us feel, Maya Angelou was a very successful student.
In fact, Maya Angelou was one of the top students at her school. She had “no absences, no tardies”, and she competed with the class valedictorian for the “best academic work” of the year. She was able to show a large amount of self-worth, as well as achieve such a large accomplishment. Being one of the best students, the graduation ceremony meant a lot to her. Sadly, as mentioned before, her moment of joy and happiness was ruined by Mr. Donleavy. At the end of the story, even though she was brought down, she was able to regroup herself with the help of Henry Reed. Even though she was above average, it still took her until the end of the writing to be proud of her race.
Maya Angelou made an enormous accomplishment when she graduated despite being, belittled, at a disadvantage, being a minority and against all odds she was a successful student. Maya Angelou showed us that she would persevere through even the most difficult situations. No matter the situation that you are put in, it is important that you are able to find the best way to get through it.
