I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.
Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.
The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.
I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.
I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.
Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.
We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.
We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.
I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
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Comments
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From guest anu (contact)
it sounds better as 'we are more alike than unlike' rather than "unalike"....dont you think? -
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Touching!
From guest Elwen (contact)
I've heard it first from a podcast about understanding race. Its the way Maya read the poem that made it more effective. Its one of the questions that bothered me the most. Why do we need to classify things and rate them in our own judgment? -
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I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.
A great way to say that everyone is different and has about them something unique and worth celebrating.
Despite the ending of the poem I feel that that is the message. EVERYBODY is different and thank God for it. Differences are not necessarily bad.
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I love the reptition somethingto think about on this author
"we ar more alike then we are unalike -
Thats most definitly what it is. Head down to you Ms. Angelou (meaning I bow down) for that there is the truth and the truth is most definitly what it is!!
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I liked this poem of hers and the way it was written with so much honesty, we're all different. The purple thing made me wonder though... I've never met anyone who was purple. I liked this write of hers a lot, it was so true- everyone is different.
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The meaning of this poem to me is very deep. It does not matter what we look like or what nationality or religion we speak as we are all alike in some sort of way - we are all human beings. To Maya Angelou, this poem may mean something more that goes to the heart. She may be wanting us follow our hearts and not judge people no matter what. She may also mean that she wants us to see how much of a family the world really is to one another. To the world you may be one person, but to that person you are their world - this to me says so much that we should really trust, a message that Maya may be sending through this poem. I felt in total awe while reading this as this seems so true. It felt like a reality check. On the technical part of this, I did not find anything wrong. But what I did notice is that there was some rhyming but it did was not throughout the poem. This was nothing big but I just wanted to point that out. At the end of the poem, there were two stanzas that were exactly the same. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not to get the message across, but it seemed unnecessary to me. The flow was very well done and the tone was very strong and powerful. My overall opinion on this piece was in total amazement. Someone to write this type of poem had to have lots of courage to get us as humans to see that we are all the same. This is a powerful poem that was very well written. I think everyone needs to read this poem or another like this to try not to judge people as I mentioned before on the way people look. We are so much alike and so similar to each other that we need to look on the positive side of life. To the world you may be one person, but to that person you are their world - this to me says so much that we should really trust, a message that Maya may be sending through this poem. An enchanting piece I must say.
May the colours of the rainbow follow you always.
Smiles always,
Kristina
Edited on Jul 18, 1:31 p.m. because ''.
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