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Old Folks Laugh - MAYA ANGELO - poem made easy - MURUKAN BABU

Old Folks Laugh – MAYA ANGELO – poem made easy – MURUKAN BABU

Murukan Babu

5,772 views 4 years ago

Warm-up Questions

From the title, what do you think the poem is about: sadness, laughter, or adventure?
What kind of video do you expect from the phrase “poem made easy”?
What do you already know about Maya Angelou?

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Start With: Word Definition

Order: Alphabetical Random

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Old Folks Laugh – MAYA ANGELO – poem made easy – MURUKAN BABU

Who Maya Angelou was & what the poem is about (00:00 – 03:09)

Transcript will load here…

1. What is the main topic of the video?

An explanation of Maya Angelou’s poem about old people laughing
How to write an autobiography
A lesson on musical instruments used in poetry

2. What kinds of oppression does the speaker say Angelou explored in her autobiographies?

Political and religious oppression
Only economic oppression
Economic, racial, and sexual oppression

3. Why did the old people not enjoy a “hearty laugh” when they were younger?

They were too busy working
They did not understand jokes
They were restricted by social rules about civility

Old Folks Laugh – MAYA ANGELO – poem made easy – MURUKAN BABU

Stanzas 1–2: simpering, freedom, and overflowing laughter (03:09 – 06:30)

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1. According to the explanation, what have the old people stopped trying to do?

Travel and learn new things
Remember the past
Please others by following society’s expectations

2. What does the simile “bellies … jiggle like slow tambourines” emphasize?

That they are afraid to laugh
That their laughter shakes the whole body
That old people are angry

3. In the speaker’s explanation, what is the old people’s loud laughter compared to?

A heavy stone falling into water
A quiet whisper in a room
A sparkling liquid spilling over a container

Old Folks Laugh – MAYA ANGELO – poem made easy – MURUKAN BABU

Stanzas 3–4: memories, frailty, and accepting death (06:30 – 11:29)

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1. Why do the old people “turn slowly,” according to the speaker?

Because they are listening to music
Because their bodies are frail and fast movement is difficult
Because they are trying to be polite

2. What are their laps described as being filled with?

Gifts
Regrets
Memories

3. How does the speaker say old people can face death?

By pretending it will not happen
Fearlessly, as another milestone
Only with fear and sadness

Old Folks Laugh – MAYA ANGELO – poem made easy – MURUKAN BABU

Transcript will load here…

1. What contrast does the video emphasize between young people and old people?

Young people are restricted by social rules, while old people laugh more freely
Young people laugh more because they have more wisdom
Young people are free, while old people are restricted

2. What does the speaker suggest old people’s laughter represents?

Disrespect for other people
Liberation and freedom
Confusion and forgetfulness

3. According to the explanation, what is one message of the poem?

Experience can bring wisdom and acceptance, even of death
Life is only joyful when you are young
Old age should be hidden from society

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Old Folks Laugh – MAYA ANGELO – poem made easy – MURUKAN BABU

Do you agree that society restricts how young people should laugh or behave? Give examples.
What do you think it means to “forgive life for happening to them”?
In your culture, how are older people expected to act in public? Are they encouraged to be serious or playful?
What role do memories and life experience play in happiness as people get older?

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