Angelou’s Poetry Explores Various Sides of the Human...

The definition of the human condition is that it encompasses the unique features of being human without having to consider one’s gender, race, culture or class. It captures the unalterable part of humanity that is inherent and innate to human beings. This consists of concerns such as the meaning of life, the search for gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation or awareness regarding the inescapability of death. It can be summed up as the fundamental issues of human existence. My personal perspective on what the human condition is, is the state we are in. It refers to what we need as humans and the experiences we go through for instants the need for basic necessities like food, shelter, drugs, sex etc. We want to†¦show more content†¦The poem ‘The Lesson’ discusses some of the outcomes and the title suggests they know it’s harmful yet they keep doing it. The structure of this particular poem is all in one with no single stanza’s. This is done purposely to emphasise how there are no breaks or stops when taking drugs. Once you take them, it’s hard quitting and people don’t stop to think, they just carry on. The first line, â€Å"I keep on dying again† shows how people know what they’re doing and how it’s affecting them and by the use of â€Å"again†, it’s clear they are occasionally experiencing it. It doesn’t just affect their physical appearance but their insides too.Their â€Å"Veins collapse†, showing how by each take they are decaying within and how they are slowing down and on to the same pace as children opening their â€Å"Small fists†. This very stark description enables us to get a feel of how it’s damaging the insides of our bodies yet those addicts still carry on. Angelou emphasises how they simply don’t care as the idea of â€Å"old tombs, Rotting flesh and worms† is not enough to make them think twice. After taking them for a long period of time, it’s becomes evident on the physical side for example the â€Å"lines along† the face which is marking the long years of taking drugs. It’s symbolising the desperate need for humans to escape reality and take them to a place similar to heaven. Angelou ends this poem with the voice admitting they will keep taking it despite what