Tamara Neff

English 111
Anderson
Rhetorical Analysis
9/16/2014

The Peoples Hero: A Fight to Remember

In Maya Angelous article Champion of the World an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings, she writes of a boxing match that represents hope for African Americans that will bring about
change for the good of their people. Growing up, she and her older brother Bailey worked in her
Grandmothers and Uncle Willies store. The store was a safe gathering place for the African American
community. On this day, people had gathered and packed in the store to listen to a very prevalent
boxing match on the radio. It was a racially charged boxing match between Joe Louis aka the Brown
Bomber who was considered a hero, to the African American people at that time. He was defending
his title as the heavy weight champion of the world to a white contender. This fight represented a step
towards equality of the two races, and a win for Joe Louis meant a step in the right direction (away from
slavery) for the African American race. If he lost the fight it would feel like all the African Americans lost
as well, years of gains as a race, and slavery would prevail once again. It would be like another lynching,
another rape, another black maid being slapped by her white owner for being forgetful (Angelou). It
would also prove, that all the accusations against the African American race were true. That they were
only a little higher than apes, ugly, stupid, and lazy. That they had no right to exist (Angelou). Maya
Angelou is effective in drawing the attention of the African American people by her use of assertion,
pathos and allusion.
This story that Maya Angelou tells, is from her own personal experience a good example of
assertion and pathos, as it is based in a time when she was an African American child growing up when
slavery was still very much prevalent at this time in history. Strides had been made to end slavery, and
they were still trying to live equally. She tells us that she and her older brother Bailey worked for her

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family store which was a safe meeting place for the black community during this very controversial
boxing match and time in history. A quick jab to the head. In the store the crowd grunted. A left to
the head, a right and another left. One of the listeners cackled like a hen and was quieted (Angelou).
Angelou talks about how important this boxing match was to her people and tells her readers that it was
so much so that they were not allowed to open the cash register, because they didnt want to disrupt
the atmosphere in the store. Her telling, of the life experience happening first hand is what makes her
asserted argument very compelling, believable and effective for her intended audience. Angelou shares
some pathos appealing to the emotional side of her intended audience.
Because the entire content of her story is so very controversial its definitely going to elicit an
emotional and/or pathos response. Nearly everyone packed into the store that was listening to the fight
on the radio had their own commentary, such as, he gone whip him till that white boy call him
momma and I aint worried bout this fight. Joes gonna whip that cracker like its open season
(Angelou). They were all shushed so that they wouldnt miss a thing on the fight. They had their whole
world and right to exist riding on the outcome of this fight, a good way to appeal to emotions or pathos
in her audience. Commentary was added for shock value, as to keep the reader intrigued, and to see
what is going to be said next. At one point Louis goes down and the Black community listening in at the
store feel the blows very personally, like the blows are directed at their entire African American race. As
a reader they could almost feel the blows too, like you were there experiencing this fight in person. The
boxing match represented the fight for freedom that they were fighting for. She says, It was our people
falling. Another lynching, yet another Black man hanging on a tree (Angelou). Once again shock value
although it is the unfortunate truth of that time in the American history. Trying to move forward from
their past, they didnt want to go back in time. Makes the audience wonder if Joe Louis knew what the
fight represented for the African American people. Just as Angelou wondered if the announcer, gave

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any thought to whom he was addressing when he announced ladies and gentleman (Angelou). They
(the black community) felt that the, announcer was speaking to them. Angelou states, All the negroes
around the world sat sweating and praying, glued to their masters voice (Angelou). You can really
feel the emotion and/or pathos in that statement, it lets us know that they as a nation, had not come
very far from slavery at that time, and that the reality was still raw and fresh in their minds and their
world. Because the outcome of such an emotional and controversial fight it appeals to the intended
audience pathos and/or emotional side. Maya Angelous entire article is basically filled with allusion and
shares this with her audience.
Maya Angelou tells a story that references a boxing match but has underlying meaning about
what the match represents for her people. This is a very broad example of allusion. She writes about
Joe Louis aka the Brown Bomber, fighting a white contender, but references racism, and slavery.
When the Brown Bomber went down during the fight, my race groaned (Angelou). She says, It was
our people falling (Angelou). A failure in their mind, a step back in evolution so to speak. They were
scared all the strides that were made for their freedom were disappearing as he fell. She used the
boxing match to reference the struggle of the African American people as an example of allusion.
Hes off the ropes, ladies and gentleman. Hes moving towards the corner of the ring
(Angelou). The Brown Bomber goes on to win the fight against his white contender. He becomes The
Champion of the World. A Black Boy. Some Black mothers son. He was the strongest man in the world
(Angelou). The African American community celebrated by splurging on coca colas and candy bars. Joe
Louis had just proved that they were a worthy race. Worthy of all the strides moving forward in
abolishing the stigma of being less than human.
In conclusion in Maya Angelous article Champion of the World she represented that the
African American race needed to feel like they belong in a world of white, leaving slavery behind. It was

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based on the outcome of a boxing match between Joe Louis and a white contender. If He won they
would be worthy and not the weaker race and if he lost it set them back in their strides to abolish
slavery, and the whites would be right. She was effective in her argument by her use of assertion,
pathos and allusion towards her intended audience.

Angelou, Maya. "Champion of the World" "Champion of the World" N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.