Assignment #1: Maya Angelou’s “Champion of the World”

Questions on Meaning
1. What do you take to be the author’s Purpose in telling this story?
I think the author’s purpose of writing this story was to tell about how she felt that Joe Louis was more then just a boxer. Joe was a hero to the African American community. She tells about how important it was for Joe to win the fight and what the outcomes could be if he did not win.
2. What connection does Angelou make between the outcome of the fight and the pride of?
African Americans? To what degree do you think the author’s view is shared by others in the store listening to the broadcast?
“If Joe lost the fight we were back to slavery and beyond help.”I think that view …show more content…

It proved that the blacks were strong but the blacks could not be seen on a back country road at night.

4. What EFFECT does the author’s use of direct quotation have on her narrative?
The authors use of direct quotations helps give an impression of exactly what is happening during the fight. Her quotes about what was being said on the radio made you feel like you were right there listening to the fight yourself.
5. OTHER METHODS besides narration, Angelou also relies heavily on the method of
Description. Analyze how narration depends on description in paragraph 27 alone.
Her narration in paragraph 27 after Joe Louis was announced as the champion of the world “A black boy. Some black mothers son .He was the strongest man in the world”showed how the group felt about what had just happened. Joe Louis just won a boxing match against a white boy. The people that were in the store where overjoyed. Angelou writes about how “people drank
Coco-Cola’s like ambrosia and candy bars like Christmas” which describes the joyous feeling that was being