Introduction
Maya Angelou is a Ghanaian autobiographical writer and poet who has gained fame over time by the publication of her many books. In her books, she plays the central character opening to the reader her world as regards her personal life. By the time of its publication, Maya’s works had appealed to a considerable size in terms of audience.
This implied that at its publication in 1986, there was already a fan base awaiting this piece of literature, further catapulting Angelou to fame. Other books published by the author by then include: ‘And still I rise’, published in 1978 and ‘Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Dixie’ which is mainly a collection of poems. This volume came to publication in 1971.
One unique aspect about her publications is that they are, in a big way a buildup of her precedents. This means that the books are successive, building on what are in the preview books. This makes it a little difficult to explain one single theme without touching on other publications for clarification (Angelou 4).
Her autobiographies have shown willingness on her part to interact with her audience honestly as regards the more negative traits of her behavior and choices as an individual. Through this however, she has come to be recognized, famed by her work and appraised by everybody in the literary world. This has given her recognition and respectability as a champion for the blacks, especially women.
The paper will also attempt to explain the themes of magical realism and submersion as they occur in the book.
Background to the book
According to the author, the title of this book is derived from the Negro concept of spiritualism. The maxim “All God’s Chillun Got Wings” has been cleverly coined to purpose in the book, bringing to light an internal quest to settle somewhere she would call home. This is despite of the fact that at the back of her mind she is accustomed to the home she knew and grew up in – Africa. This depicts the sense of religion, belonging and acceptance to a given clique of people or society. Others find the use of the word travelling strategically because much of or a big portion of the novel involves transition from segment to the next. As such, the title has about it the suspense and toggles the curiosity of the leader. It goes a long way to shape the plot of the book and, consequently the impact of the themes therein.
The plot summary
This book is much less a succession of its predecessor- ‘the heart of a woman’. Heart of a woman ends with a serious motor accident her son, Guy, is involved. This happened in the backdrop of them travelling back to Ghana to enroll him in University, three days after they got into the country.
It took Guy four years to recuperate during which they stayed in Ghana. She details Guy’s recovery that forced her into depression. Her friend Julian Mayfied introduces her to Efua Sutherland, they become close friends and she offers Maya a shoulder to lean on (Angelou 54).
With time, she secured a job with the University, got used to the people and eventually fell in love with the country. She speaks of them in the book as constant reminders of the friends she had back in California and Kansas. As her son grew up, she has to learn to respect him as his own person and tries to relate differently with the son by not letting him take a center stage in her life.
She bonds even more with the continent of Africa after travelling through the villages of Ghana, interacting with the people and their cultures, forming relationships with the people and even getting romantically involved with a few Africans. She also broadens her social network by interacting with tribal leaders such as Nana Nketsia and another poet Kwesi Brew.
Thousands of miles away back in the United States, the struggle for black liberation is on and she thinks of Martin Luther’s non-violent approach to the issue as cynical. They organize a non-parallel match in Ghana in 1963 coinciding with the one organized back in the States. Sometimes she relates with Malcolm X who convinces her to go back home and join the liberation struggles.
In the book, she conflicts on many occasions with her son on matters to do with his independence, the choices he makes daily and the rift that is growing between them because of his maturing. In the book there are also scenes of several journeys- thematic of a journey within a journey. This is in respect to when she got in theater. She also travels to Berlin where she shares a meal with a German family, which though rich, is racist (Angelou 39).
At the end of the book “she travels back home, relating this departure with how her ancestors ended up abroad through forced slavery” (Angelou 41). Her departure from Guy also wears her down.
Themes on African culture
Motherhood
This is the major theme in the book. It is represented by Maya’s relationship with her son, his growth and the complexities that arise thereabout; she has to sacrifice her dominance over his choices. They confront each other on several occasions where they contrast in choice and opinion and, this depicts a relationship between a mother and the son.
Identity
Her journey to Africa connects her present to the past, and she goes back home relating better with the people having understood her background. She also joins the liberations with a deep sense of belonging that is embedded in her and her confidence grows (Angelou 17).
Magical realism
Her interaction with the people in Africa exposed her to the practices and notions of Africans. Her journeys through the villages to the East of Ghana led her to a path of discovery of cultures that utilize magic and invoke the intervention of the gods and ancestors. This is a major theme drawn from the villages.
Submersion
This involves interaction with people and being a part of them. She does this all over the book in that when she comes to Africa, she joins the theater and interacts with the people as they travel abroad. In Germany, she gets to interact with a racist family. She interacts well with Africans and falls in love with Ghana as a nation.
Polygamy
Africans are practicing polygamy, and unlike in the United States they do not care much about the opinion of their first wives. It is embedded in the African culture to marry several wives, a case in point is when she interact with an African romantically and the person wants to make her a second wife provided she follows African customs (Angelou 81).
Work Cited
Angelou, Maya. All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes, New York: Random House, 1986. Print.