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Read Celebrations: Rituals Of Peace And Prayer (2006)

Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer (2006)

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4.11 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
1400066107 (ISBN13: 9781400066100)
Language
English
Publisher
random house

Celebrations: Rituals Of Peace And Prayer (2006) - Plot & Excerpts

This is the first I've been exposed to Maya Angelou, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about her poetry. I was definitely most impressed with Sons and Daughters, but some, specifically In and Out of Time, seemed rather cliche. The author reads somewhat slowly, but I was pleased I got the audiobook version anyhow, as many of these poems do have a lovely rhythm to them.Where I think Angelou succeeds the most is in her social writing. She writes often of people yearning for peace, and of children suffering and needing assistance. She seems to really feel for these people, and the writing seems honest, and it sounds wonderful read aloud. However, Angelou doesn't stick to this, and why should she? Some of the poems celebrate people, and I didn't enjoy these nearly as much. Continued is about Oprah Winfrey, for crying out loud, and it reminded me of the end of Shakespeare's Henry VIII (and not because Angelou writes like Shakespeare). At the end of the play, King Henry's daughter Elizabeth is born, and Shakespeare spends a monologue about how wonderful the future Queen will be. Of course he did--that was his main audience. It seemed to me like Angelou was being less honest--pandering, if you will, to someone who might be nice to have on her side. The only one of this type I enjoyed at all is Bar Mitzvah Ben Lear, and even that was not one of my favorites. It's very rare that someone can write good poetry about someone they know, who may get offended.Overall, I think I liked the book. I might pick up another by Maya Angelou sometime, but my expectations are that the poems will be hit or miss. I do not think Ms. Angelou is the poetic genius people make her out to be, talented as she undoubtedly is. I do think getting the audiobook, or an audiobook/book bundle, is a great idea. Poems almost always sound better read aloud. Maya Angelou is not my new favorite poet, or even my new favorite contemporary poet, but she has a definite voice and is worth your time.

I was deeply saddened by the passing of this great lady in 2014. What a national treasure. As we wind down the remainder of the year, I pulled out this volume to receive a blessing from her words as I prepare for a new year ahead. I offer her own words back up in memory of all those great writers we've lost in 2014:When great trees fall,rocks on distant hills shudder,lions hunker downin tall grasses,and even elephantslumber after safety.When great trees fallin forests,small things recoil into silence,their senseseroded beyond fear.When great souls die,the air around us becomeslight, rare, sterile.We breathe briefly,our eyes, briefly,see witha hurtful clarity.Our memory, suddenly sharpened,examines,gnaws on kind wordsunsaid,promised walksnever taken.Great souls die andour reality, bound tothem, takes leave of us.Our souls,dependent upon theirnurture,now shrink, wizened.Our minds, formedand informed by theirradiance,fall away.We are not so much maddenedas reduced to the unutterable ignoranceof dark, coldcaves.And when great souls die,after a period peace blooms,slowly and alwaysirregularly. Spaces fillwith a kind ofsoothing electric vibration.Our senses, restored, neverto be the same, whisper to us,They existed. They existed.We can be. Be and bebetter. For they existed.(Maya Angelou, Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer, New York: Random House, 2006, pp. 47-50)

What do You think about Celebrations: Rituals Of Peace And Prayer (2006)?

Maya Angelou is a genius, plain and simple. Her words are like honey. They trickle down into the soul, little by little, slowly, soothing pain and lifting the spirit on their way. Every piece in this collection marks some special event, thus the title Celebrations. "On the Pulse of the Morning," read at President Clinton's inauguration; "Amazing Peace," presented at the 2005 lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House; "A Brave and Startling Truth," which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, a poem for Oprah's fiftieth birthday, one for the bar mitzvah for Angelou's nephew, and several others. As I set this book aside, a few stanzas stay with me, working their way through the maze of my mind and finding their permanent place in my soul. Definitely recommended.
—Sherry

Reading Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer the week Maya Angelou slipped into eternal peace seemed fitting.... This small book of her poems is generously endowed with sparkling gems of wisdom. My favorite among them is found in "Ben Lear's Bar Mitzvah" and reads, ...Please know, prayers lay in the road where you will plant your feet.Please know that aspirations of your family are high at your back, and surround you entirely.Please knowthat great hopes of your devoted shower you withardent wishes for your being and for your future.Your belovedsknow that you are entering a nationwhere you must learn the differencebetween seeking after justice and lusting for revenge.They know alsothat you will meet those who would be kind if only they had the courage, andthose who would do evilif only they had the opportunity.You will be bathed in the morning dew of truthand you will drink down the brackish water offalse witness.Be wary, my nephew, but fear only God,for you have a limitless resource of powerfullove.... (91-93)
—Shannon

Maya Angelou is an interesting and important figure: inspiring, fun, charismatic, strong. She was a wonderful woman who was great to listen to. But I don't feel that all of these positive attributes consistently find themselves in the quality of her poetry, at least as it exists on the printed page.The opening poem of this book, "On the Pulse of the Morning," (which is probably my favorite occasional poem) is an effective balance of the positive, unique impact occasional poetry can have. It's an infusion of Angelou's character into poetic text--a poem that is social, political, unifying, and cosmopolitan, with strong pacing and interesting lines, while maintaining a strong sense of accessibility that's present in all of her poems.However, many of the other poems in this collection don't quite strike this balance. The ideas in the poems are definitely important, but many of the pieces are stronger as speeches and snippets of optimistic and uplifting letters (with line breaks). The poems employ dull repetition, unexplored generalizations, and a lack of nuance and specificity that would make many sections of these poems great for Hallmark cards.The books works as topical/thematic reminders for particular people and occasions, and as a book of poetry for those who may not read poetry widely nor study poetic craft. The positive trade-offs are that the accessibility and lack of density make for a very quick read, and if you're looking for some simple words to pick up your day, this is probably a great place to turn.
—Marlin Jenkins

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