The poet portrays a speaker in this poem who, despite being marginalized and facing incredible socio-economic challenges, is still focused on rising above these challenges. The speaker admits to, at times, ignoring the larger problems and their own shortcomings throughout this poem. This is something that Angelou depicts as a survival tactic.
To better understand this poem, it is important to consider each stanza as providing insight into the speaker's life. Each line references an element of their life, like the economic situation, proximity to substance abuse, and desire to rise above their circ*mstances in a way that makes their situation grow clearer. While the poet does not mention any true specifics in this piece, by putting these elements together, readers can get a clearer picture of who the speaker is meant to be.
Explore Bump d’Bump
- 1 Summary
- 2 Structure and Form
- 3 Literary Devices
- 4 Detailed Analysis
Summary
‘Bump d’Bump’ by Maya Angelou is a powerful poem that explores the hardships of everyday life, racism, and poverty.
In the first lines of the poem, the speaker begins with a metaphor. They speak about a game, the “Blind Man’s Dance,” which symbolizes the speaker’s experience of navigating life with imposed limitations and ignorance.
The poem also explores the speaker’s life. The poet uses symbolic elements like a liquor sign and a cooking spoon from a discount store to depict a life marked by poverty. They have a chaotic and unstable existence that’s likely influenced by substance abuse or living in an environment where it’s prevalent.
The poet also addresses the experience of racial prejudice in this piece. This is seen through images such as “an ugly south.” Despite all the challenges in the poem, the speaker displays a sense of acceptance, choosing to “play possum” and ignore their own flaws and the sins of society.
The final stanza brings in a note of hope. Even though the world is difficult now, the speaker clings to the idea of rising and overcoming these challenges.
The Poem Analysis Take
Expert Insights by Emma Baldwin
B.A. English (Minor: Creative Writing), B.F.A. Fine Art, B.A. Art Histories
This poem focuses broadly on the struggles faced by those attempting to survive and withstand poverty, addiction, and social discrimination across the world. The poet chose not to reference a specific character or characters in this piece, instead alluding to the broad and complicated issues that face those who are attempting to better their circ*mstances.
Structure and Form
‘Bump d’Bump’ by Maya Angelou is made up of stanzas of either three or four lines. The first and third stanzas are tercets, meaning they contain three lines, and the second, fourth, and fifth stanzas are quatrains, meaning they contain four lines each. There is no single rhyme scheme that unites each stanza, meaning the poem is mainly written in free verse.
Despite this, there are some very clear rhyming patterns that can be seen in the text. For example, “south” and “mouth” are in stanza three, and “eyes,” “lies,” and “prize” are in stanza four. There are also great examples of half-rhymes. These include “dance” and “ignorance” in stanza one and “sign” and “times” in stanza two.
Literary Devices
In this poem, the poet makes use of a few different literary devices. For example:
- Refrain: This is a form of repetition that can be seen when the poet repeats “Bump d’bump bump d’bump” at the end of each stanza.
- Symbolism: The poet uses symbols to convey deeper meanings within her images. For instance, playing a game like “Blind Man’s dance” symbolizes moving through life with a blindness to certain, important truths.
- Imagery: This can be seen when the poet uses particularly interesting descriptions. For example, “liver lies” and “satchel mouth.” “Liver lips” is also an example of alliteration.
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
Play a game like Blind Man’s dance
And bind my eyes with ignorance
Bump d’bump bump d’bump
In the first lines of this poem, the speaker begins by referencing something called the “Blind Man’s Dance.” This is a symbol of how difficult it is to navigate life while blindfolded or handicapped in any way. It could be interoperated as the self-imposed or society-imposed limitations in life. These could be social constraints or personal choices that have made life difficult.
The speaker’s eyes are blind “with ignorance,” the poet writes. This indicates that there is something about life that they are not aware of. This ignorance is making life harder to live or blinding them to life’s truths.
The phrase “Bump d’bump bump d’bump” is repeated at the end of the first stanza. This is something that occurs in each stanza of the poem and is meant to mimic the sound of stumbling or bumping into obstacles, which ties back to the theme of navigating life blindly.
Stanza Two
Tell my lifewith aliquor sign
(…)
Bump d’bump bump d’bump
In the second stanza, the poet references liquor and a “junkie reel.” This suggests that substance abuse has an important role to play in this person’s life. The liquor sign is a metaphor for the speaker’s life. It references a life marked by struggles such as addiction, poverty, or living in a socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhood where liquor stores are prevalent.
The poet uses more images in these lines, like the cooking spoon from the “five-and-dime” store, to represent living frugally. It also reflects a no-frills, practical approach to life.
The reference to drug addiction in the third line is important. The phrase “in two/four times” suggests a rhythm or pattern. This alludes to the nature of addiction as something that’s cyclical in the speaker’s life. It’s not clear here whether they are addicted to drugs or if someone, or multiple people, in their lives are.
Stanza Three
Call me a name from anugly south
(…)
Bump d’bump bump d’bump
In the third stanza, the poet includes slang terms like “liver lips” and “satchel mouth” to refer to the features of those from the “ugly south.” These derogatory phrases are meant to tear people down and suggest that those from the South are less educated than those in other parts of the country.
At the same time, these lines can refer to the fact that the South is historically known for its struggles with racism and segregation. “Liver lips” and “satchel mouth” are racial slurs that have been historically used to mock the physical features of African Americans.
Stanza Four
I’ll play possum and close my eyes
(…)
Bump d’bump bump d’bump
In the fourth stanza, the speaker says that they’ll “play possum and close my eyes.” Here, they are suggesting that they’ve given in to their ignorance and their inability to change the world. They aren’t going to fight the world’s sins. The use of “grater” could be a play on words, suggesting both “greater” in magnitude and “grater” as something that shreds or harms.
The poet also indicates that playing possum is something that the “nation” does. The “nation’s prize” could be interpreted as the reward of complicity and willful ignorance.
Stanza Five
I may be last in the welfare line
(…)
Bump d’bump bump d’bump
In the final stanza, the speaker says that they might be struggling in society, represented by being “last in the welfare line.” They are at the very bottom of the socio-economic hierarchy in a place that is devoid of light or hope, “where the sun don’t shine.”
Despite this, “getting up stays on my mind.” They still want to rise above life’s challenges and endure, perhaps bettering their life and future.
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