When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou wrote this beautiful yet sad poem. In the poem she is talking about how does it feel when losing someone close to you. She also includes some healing words to try to lift your spirits up. Further into the poem she talks about souls and how us humans react to loss. She talks about how people feel like their heart goes numb after someone great has transitioned. She goes on to explain the emotions that humans go through after a love ones death. At the ending of the poem she basically is telling the reader that they are not alone and that there is always time for healing
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DeleteI see where you are coming from as it is breathtaking just as it is saddening to read and understand. The fact that Ms. Angelou writes in deep passion for someone that was indeed so important to the Supreme Court is interesting and understanding to how many may have viewed her death. The ideologies that she uses such as the trees falling with a moment of change then silence just shows how quick the change of a death can make in a nation’s life. Such a quick detail that many will soon face yet, we never take in consideration when and how soon it may happen and yet, when its done, there they lie, with all the memories that we may keep for our own lifeline. Shows how much people whish they could have done or be around more before someone close meets their fate. Though this poem really does underline the reality and how much one can grow from another’s death, oddly pleasing to say the least.
DeleteI had a similar feeling from Maya Angelou’s poem as well. It was beautiful to read because even though it is known that everyone loses loved ones, the reactions that are described tells me that the feeling of numbness is universal. My favorite part from her poem was the comparison of the fallen trees and the passing souls. The connection of loss between two different settings and species provides the universal feel I mentioned. It is one of those pieces of writing that the reader cannot help but think of their own lost ones, and the feelings that were experienced during it.
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DeleteLilly. It is interesting to note your perspective that numbness is universal. Indeed it is Moreover, it is extraordinary that ones emotions can be bought to life through the use of words. Ms.Angelou's poem brings to life this universal numbness felt by millions at the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Gingsberg. Her life not only impacted those here in the United States, but her tenacity for equal applicability of the law shaped the lives of others world wide. Her absence from the court itself leaves a political void as well as a familiarity experienced by minorities in that her gender was the minority amongst the other justices. While she served for decades, we did not truly understand her impact until we all felt the void.
I agree Maya Angelou’s poem is a beautiful, yet sad, poem. When losing a loved one, we tend to connect to their memories a lot more when the person is gone than when they were living. The numbness someone may feel after losing a loved one may never go away leaving their mental state and emotions scarred. I also noticed the poem mentioning the way of healing from losing someone in regards to understanding that no one is ever truly alone and that there is always somewhere there for, someone there to help you even in someone’s most darkest moments.
DeleteI strongly agree that this poem is very beautiful and touching, but at the same time I also strongly agree that it is very sad to read this poem because I can relate to it like I understand and know the feeling of losing a loved one because when I was younger I had lost my grandfather and before he died he cried because he was leaving me behind. His death really affected me mentally and physically throughout the years as I gotten older. Then, later on I had realized that even though he's gone physically, but he will always be here spiritually and because of those words I started to heal because now I know that I'm not alone and that he's truly not gone even though I can't see him, but I can feel him.
DeleteI agree that Maya Angelou is directly speaking about the loss of a fellow human being, how humans feel to react, and the correlation to the recent death of the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Death is not only a loss but also a change of importance that cannot undo. The Supreme Court Justices is the highest level of judges in the nation that is elected by the President. Knowing how President Trump reacts to equality, the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a change of importance to the general public. It is not only a loss but also a modification in what justice means and appears to be in our nation right now in 2020.
DeleteA beautiful poem that let us know we are never alone, even when we lose someone close to us. It is a terrible time to be in the hospital because you are completely alone with no visitors, as your family and friends are not allowed anywhere near you. This poem resembles all the heartache my family and I went through in the recent passing of my grandmother. Like you mentioned, and like the poem states, however, we know that even through the heartache we are not alone and there is time for healing. There are times when we ask ourselves when we’ll get better, but I realize time heals all wounds.
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DeleteI agree Adriana. When I read the poem I feel the words are telling me that everyone dies and it's apart of life. but even when we die we began a new. I also feel like its telling its audience that even when we lose someone they are not truly gone that they are there with us as we are with them.
I agree with your response Adriana, I believe Maya Angelou wrote this beautiful poem with so many inspirational meanings behind every line but all correlating back to the overall message of not giving up. Sharing an emotional description of how hard it is when a loved one is lost, but how important it is to know that we are never alone. Using key terms to uplift the spirit and bring warmth in times of sorrow. This poem was written very delightfully and strategically by Maya Angelou to inspire and motivate many in times when people might be at their lowest points in life.
DeleteI sympathize with the pain of losing your loved one. Just like your situation, my grandmother passed away in the arms of her loved ones. I do not have to take that pain alone. There will always be relatives and people who love me by my side, and we have overcome the pain of loss together. As the poem mentioned, time is always the most miraculous and effective remedy to heal all heart wounds. As for the poem, this is a poem of 5 stanzas and divided into uneven lines. The metaphor effectively used in the title "great trees fall" gives an impression of those who are old or have a significant influence, always protecting and defending others, have passed away. When a large tree falls, the seedlings and the animals that live below will face direct sunlight, inclement weather. However, we always change to survive. Then we will recover and become more vital than ever. I believe so. I have experienced a sort of infinite sad feelings in my life. Like you, I overcame my inner negativity. Furthermore, I became extraordinarily strong. Thank you for the emotional story.
DeleteThe poem is beautifully written about loss yet it tells us that even in those moments of loss and pain that we're not alone, there is always someone with us whether in person or in presence, The description of moments when we realise we've lost someone. The air around us feels tense, the sensation of emptiness as someone that you could have been talking to the other day or that you ignored a call from recently is now gone. The sensation of pain lingers with you till you move on and realise that it’s life to lose others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, this poem is beautifully written about deaths and lost of loved ones, its description is so vivid that even if one hasn't experienced loss yet, it gives us such a descriptive way and step as to how to deal with loss. For example Maya Angelous said in lines 12-20 that
Delete“When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,”
This is one of my favorite quote in the poem cause it is certainly true, when a love one is gone there is heavy air that lingers, there is this grave bearing in the mind and heart of every one concerned. Surprisingly the moments shared will flash before ones eyes, that right there is the painful part, the regret and the wishes. But Maya Angelous went ahead to say
“And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed."
This part is very consoling and it's telling us that to grief is a very slow process to get over but the poem also reminds us constantly that our loved ones may be gone but they continue live on in our heart.
I agree with what you have said about the poem and love your analogy about how life is all about losing others, even though it sounds a little morbid at first glance. I think that even though the concept of death is so closely tied with that of life, it’s important to realize what else comes with that. Memories and experiences are all that one can take away from a loss. And it is in both those things that your loved one lives on. Albeit grief is an inevitable part to go through in order to take comfort in what the lost one has left you with.
DeleteI agree with what you said about the poem. Maya Angelou wrote a beautiful poem about losing someone. When you lose someone you love you feel like your whole world is falling apart. Memories of that person live on in our head and every promise they have made. Maya talks about how it feels to lose someone and realize they are gone. We have the sensation of emptiness around us, but we will slowly overcome this pain. This pain that we feel will make us stronger. They may be gone, but they are never forgotten. We will live on with our lives and be better for them.
DeleteTo me, i think that the poem takes about a loved one who i wish was here (just like anonymous replied above) but at the end it kinda reminds you that if that loved one is in peace then you have to be in peace and live your life. "And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly." I have recently gone through an experience with a loss of a loved one. my Grandfather died of the virus that is going around today and the feeling of not being able to say goodbye to him was harsh on me and my family. We did not hear about him for 3 months and all of a sudden at 3:30 am of a Thursday morning he is gone. And just like the poet explains,"When great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile. We breathe, briefly. Our eyes, briefly, see with
ReplyDeletea hurtful clarity."But that was not the hardest moment, the hardest moment was when we had to tell my grandmother that her husband died and that she can see him anymore and that she can not say goodbye to him. after that your heart is torn and sometimes you do not want to show it but the moment gets to you and you begin to cry. But after some time, you are sad but at peace because you know he is at peace.
No doubt that this poem has an immense impact on those who have lost a beloved one, losing a grandparent is similar to the analogy Maya Angelo mentions in her poem, I can see how you relate to this poem because a grandparent is a source of stability and nurturing, and losing them creates a void that cannot be filled by any other relationship, just like an told old tree once it's gone it cannot be replaced for a very long, time its value cannot be measured, but as our poet writes, the great people in our lives actually never cease to exist, they carry on living in the lessons they have taught us, as well as the legacies they have left behind.
DeleteWhen I read this I felt that exact same feeling, I never met my grandma but I know she was a wonderful woman. Though I wish she was here or I could see her for at least one time , they are in a better place. They are no longer suffering trying to fight for their life. I might not understand much of your pain because you actually met and had wonderful memories about your grandfather I do feel that emptiness. That emptiness that was once hidden by what in the poem is referred to an old tree. This poem is without a doubt a beautiful and touched poem that reaches to your soul making you find that inner peace but missing what once was there.
DeleteI agree, I believe when any loved one passes we wish they were with us even if they are distant we still know that they are alive and well and have the opportunity to go see them if we please, I feel the air becoming light, rare and sterile after such a tragic event comes from the bitter sadness that looms around during the grieving process that does not allow us to think or act like we did before we lost that person. Just like you said that you must be at peace when a loved one passes because they are at peace, I really feel that is true as I was taught from a young age to not be sad at funerals because they moved on and are doing better now than they were before. It seems almost pointless to cry over someone who has died when thinking about it like that but In the moment its almost all you can do.
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Deleteh
DeleteWhen someone passes there are various people who are affected, from their loved ones to even people they work with or sometimes talk to. Everyone who experiences the loss of someone they are acquainted with will experience loss in different ways. Some people may feel like their world is coming to an end while others may feel like they simply have to not take life for granted. Maya Angelou also starts of the poem with strong and destructive imagery and then begins to transition into more peaceful imagery, this shows how after all the hurt and grief there is peace.
DeleteIt is sad with many souls gone because of the virus, and also sad when souls are gone for other reasons not caused by the virus. I can relate to the poem. I had a nice uncle who was friends with my dad. He supported my fundraiser even though he was struggling with his own life. He had a chronic illness that he hid from everyone. I remember feeling shocked when I heard he passed away. It was my first time knowing someone who was gone. I didn’t know what to feel at that time. It wasn’t till I was told to contact my friend, who was his daughter, of the news that her father had passed that I cried. I started to think back at my memories with the kind uncle. I even felt regret when I said something mean to him unintentionally. I wanted to say sorry and thank you, but it was already too late. All I could do was learn from this experience and wish him happiness in the afterlife. I learned to take my time and enjoy life with loved ones because we never know when is the last time we’ll see them.
DeleteThis poem When Great Trees Fall written by Maya Angelou while beautiful reminds me one of the absence of perhaps one of the greatest influences of a person's life. Often we do not realize the influence of an individual on our life until they have passed. How tragic that our nature is built this way, but our souls anguish at the absence. When I read this poem I can feel the tone that Maya is giving off her words jumping out and combining together. It also gives off that sadness feel when we lose someone but know that they are in a better place and that we have our memories of them to keep us whole.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is great and Maya Angelou always writes great poems from what i read in high school and this one talks about the lost of a loved one and that can be a heartbreaking thing to happen to someone especially loosing them at a young age. I've lost 2 important people so far my uncle before I was 10 years old and he was a kind uncle who I had a connection with and the other was my grandma who I lost in my junior year in my high school and that time it was time of dropping out of high school because how much I was struggling in high school but i wanted to keep going just for to see me graduate but passed away before i went to my senior year, but I still graduated for her and also to see my parents to be proud that I was able to complete high school, I still would hope to see her at my graduation
ReplyDeletei understand what you went thru and how you felt. i personally didnt get to experience that with any love ones i was kept away from seeing family members from both side of parents when me and my cousins where just little kids playing tag time past and i was no longer to able to see anyone yet as now that iam older sometimes i would actually come across them at the store and all i remember their face and when i go up to them to talk to them like " heyy how you been remember me?" now imagen telling your cousins that and they respond back " idk who you are, i think you have the wrong person" it doesnt feel right to have family who dont even know you anymore. it still kinda of bothers me till today trying to figure out where everyone go and all. when i was about 5 i first met one of my moms old friends till i was about 16 she past away that was my first experience of a lost one even though she was nothing related to us, she was just a friend that we knew and would go visit like every afternoon. time goes by fast and its not being valued.
ReplyDelete- This poem is really beautiful and sad all at the same time. It makes me realize how lucky I am to still have all my loved ones with me. I haven’t experienced the grieve of a very special person or someone I love, and I am definitely not looking forward to it. I know everyone eventually passes but I do not know what I would do with myself. I get sad over movies and cry a until a couple days after. I cannot imagine myself after knowing I will not be able to see my grandparents, my parents, or someone I love anymore.
DeleteMary Angelou's poem depicts a great loss and how that loss can affect someone. Our strength depicted as the lions and elephants is waned and depleted. Our senses are dulled and silenced and the “air around us becomes light, rare (and) sterile”. When a great loss is experienced it is as if our world comes crashing down, and I believe those feelings are depicted in this poem. However, our memories of the deceased live on and become a vivid memory that enlightens us with their accomplishments that can help us “be and be better”. The poem “When Great Trees Fall” helps us understand that going through the loss of a mentor will cause great pain, but overtime we must prevail and learn from the lessons they have left behind.
ReplyDeleteThis beautifully written poem by Mary Angelou describes the impact made on a person after losing a loved one. While tragic, grieving death is an inevitable part of life that everyone goes through at one point or another. The quote, "When great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile. We breathe, briefly. Our eyes, briefly, see with a hurtful clarity.” describes the emptiness she is feeling inside. While it’s painful to accept the death of a loved, it’s necessary in order to move on. She goes onto imply that we are never truly alone. While they might not be with us here physically, their presence is still with us and their spirit lives on through us. By the end of the poem, the tone changes from gloomy to peaceful.
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