Prompt: In Maya Angelou's poem "Lady Luncheon Club," the speaker narrates her experiences at one of the dining events. Using devices such as diction and tone, describe the speaker's complex feelings towards the ladies at the luncheon.
Thesis: The declared purpose of the luncheon held in Angelou's poem, "Lady Luncheon Club," is to bring awareness and acknowledgement to horrific topics such as rape and murder. However, the speaker sarcastically observes how the self-serving ladies are more preoccupied with status, reputation, and image.
The speaker utilizes petty metaphors to demonstrate the duplicity and vanity surrounding the event. The women have hired a male lecturer to deliver a speech, and the speaker denounces his efforts: "He summons up / Sincerity as one might call a favored / Pet" (9-11). The word 'pet' is isolated in its own line, drawing attention to the metaphor. The speaker compares his sincerity to a pet: a trained animal that is taught to perform on command. This metaphor is used to highlight the insincerity of his speech, and further critique the superficial intentions of the luncheon.
Throughout the poem, the internal thoughts of the ladies are separated through the use of parenthesis, demonstrating the incongruity between the declared purpose of the luncheon and their undisclosed intentions. As the lecturer is orating about rape and death, "our woman notes: / (This coffee's much too strong)" (21-22). While the woman should be focused on the devastating stories from his speech, she is more preoccupied with the quality of the food at the luncheon. Although she is physically present, she has no emotional investment in the humanitarian aspect of the event. The speaker is appalled by the superficiality of the luncheon that is supposedly centered around notable and charitable causes.
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