In “ Champion of the World”, an excerpt from the autobiography, I know Why the Caged Bird sings, Maya Angelou explores racial oppression in the 1930’s. Through this excerpt she talks about the racial difference between whites and black through a “boxing match” that exemplifies the extreme discrimination in the South. In the “boxing match” the two contenders is a white challenger and a –black– heavyweight champion, Joe Louis. The two contenders fight each other to win the championship, but also, fighting to change the perspective of how African American are viewed in the U.S. In the first place, Angelou uses ethos to convey the moral issue of racism and discrimination during the 1930’s. Throughout this time the Jim Crow Laws separated two major groups: whites…show more content… Angelou’s exhibit her emotion’s to the reader because discrimination was so extreme. The oppression of the African Americans was not only sympathy but also the way Angelou described intensify emotions on the readers. One use of imagery Angelou uses: “ My race groaned. It was our people falling. It was another lynching, yet another Black man hanging on a tree” (95). Angelou described the loss the black people were going through and the experience she faces in the 1930’s. Through Angelou’s use of imagery demonstrated how she felt and that it was inhuman how the black people were oppressed. Through the actions Angelou experienced was mournful but also she was so embarrassed how the government let this happened to them. Ultimately, Angelou usage of techniques truly conveys how she felt and experienced during the 1930’s. By using Joe Louis as an example of hope to ensure the African American that they had a chance to make a turning point in history through his winning. Champion of the world wasn’t a prize for winning a match it was a symbolism of breaking the racial discrimination in the Southern countries in the United
