Analysis of Maya Angelou Poem "INSOMNIAC"

Insomniac

(By Maya Angelou)

There are some nights when
sleep plays coy,
aloof and disdainful.
And all the wiles
that I employ to win
its service to my side
are useless as wounded pride,
and much more painful. 

Figurative Language

There are some figurative languages usages in this poetry. Angelou uses personification   in the second line, “sleep plays coy”. Personification is a figurative language in which giving human characteristic for an object or animal. Angelou also use simile in the seventh line, “are useless as wounded pride”. Simile is a comparation an object to another by using as or likes to suggest they are alike. Alliteration was also found in this poetry. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds to enhance the rhythm or to create a beat in poetry. We find it in the last line, “and much more painful”. 

Connotation & denotation

The denotative meaning of the poem is that Angelou is unable to sleep. She is using personification to describe sleep as distant, detached, and scornful; and explains how her lack of sleep causes her to, herself, be aloof and disdainful. Additionally, Angelou uses a simile in the 7th line in order to explain that no matter how hard she tries, she is simply unable to fall asleep. Connotatively, this poem is about how Angelou's is lonely and, no matter how hard she tries, she is unable to find who or what she is missing.

Rhythm and meter

And all/ the wiles

          I    X    /   I   X     /   I        Iambic dimeter

            And much/ more painful/        Iambic dimeter

          I    X   /    I       X          /   I

Based on the rhyme schemes, this poetry belongs to octave, which consists of eight lines.

Musical Devices

 Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds to enhance the rhythm or to create a beat in poetry. We find it in the last line, “and much more painful”. This poetry use also assonance, as we can see in the 6^th and 7^th line.

its service to my side
are useless as wounded pride,

Assonance occurs when the vowel sounds of a word are repeated without continuing to imitate the other sounds that follow them.