“Harlem Hopscotch” is a poem written by the American poet, playwright, memoirist, and Civil Rights leader Dr. Maya Angelou. It uses the childhood game of hopscotch as an extended metaphor for how Black Americans must navigate a racist society and what it means to be truly free within such circumstances. "Harlem Hopscotch" was first recorded by Maya Angelou as part of a 1969 spoken word audio collection, The Poetry of Maya Angelou. It was later included in Angelou's first published collection of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie, which appeared in 1971.
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The Full Text of “Harlem Hopscotch”
The Full Text of “Harlem Hopscotch”
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“Harlem Hopscotch” Summary
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“Harlem Hopscotch” Themes
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Racism and Poverty
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-14
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Freedom and Empowerment
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-14
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Harlem Hopscotch”
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Lines 1-2
One foot down, ...
... ones that's got. -
Lines 3-4
Another jump, now ...
... Everybody for hisself. -
Lines 5-6
In the air, ...
... don't stick around. -
Lines 7-8
Food is gone, ...
... then jump two. -
Lines 9-10
All the people ...
... twist and jerk. -
Lines 11-12
Cross the line, ...
... hopping's all about. -
Lines 13-14
Both feet flat, ...
... think I won.
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“Harlem Hopscotch” Symbols
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The Game
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 13: “the game”
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The Line
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 11: “Cross the line”
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“Harlem Hopscotch” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Extended Metaphor
Where extended metaphor appears in the poem:- Lines 1-14
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Allusion
Where allusion appears in the poem:- Lines 1-14
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End-Stopped Line
Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:- Line 1: “hot.”
- Line 2: “got.”
- Line 3: “left.”
- Line 4: “hisself.”
- Line 5: “down.”
- Line 6: “around.”
- Line 7: “due,”
- Line 8: “two.”
- Line 9: “work,”
- Line 10: “jerk.”
- Line 11: “out.”
- Line 12: “about.”
- Line 13: “done.”
- Line 14: “won.”
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Caesura
Where caesura appears in the poem:- Line 1: “down, then hop! It's”
- Line 3: “jump, now”
- Line 5: “air, now”
- Line 6: “black, don't”
- Line 7: “gone, the”
- Line 10: “three, then”
- Line 11: “line, they”
- Line 13: “flat, the”
- Line 14: “lost. I”
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Juxtaposition
Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:- Lines 1-14
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Polysyndeton
Where polysyndeton appears in the poem:- Line 8: “Curse and cry and then jump two.”
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Colloquialism
Where colloquialism appears in the poem:- Line 2: “Good things for the ones that's got.”
- Line 4: “Everybody for hisself.”
- Line 6: “Since you black, don't stick around.”
- Line 9: “All the people out of work,”
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “hop,” “hot”
- Line 2: “got”
- Line 6: “Since,” “stick”
- Line 7: “Food,” “due”
- Line 8: “two”
- Line 9: “people”
- Line 10: “three”
- Line 11: “count,” “out”
- Line 12: “about”
- Line 14: “think I,” “I think I”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 1: “hop,” “hot”
- Line 2: “Good,” “got”
- Line 6: “Since,” “stick”
- Line 8: “Curse,” “cry”
- Line 11: “Cross,” “count”
- Line 13: “feet,” “flat”
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Antithesis
Where antithesis appears in the poem:- Line 14: “They think I lost. I think I won.”
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“Harlem Hopscotch” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Curse
- Jump two
- Hold for three
- Twist and jerk
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(Location in poem: Line 8: “Curse”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Harlem Hopscotch”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Harlem Hopscotch” Speaker
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“Harlem Hopscotch” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Harlem Hopscotch”
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More “Harlem Hopscotch” Resources
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External Resources
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Maya Angelou Reading “Harlem Hopscotch” — Listen to Angelou read her poem in her 1969 spoken word collection.
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Biography of Maya Angelou — Read more about Dr. Maya Angelou's life and work, and read more of her poems, at the Poetry Foundation website.
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Maya Angelou's Official Website — Visit the official website of Dr. Maya Angelou to read more about her life, work, and legacy.
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Full Album of “Caged Bird Songs” — Listen to the full album “Caged Bird Songs,” including the song created for “Harlem Hopscotch,” and watch a 2020 video made to accompany Angelou’s poem “Human Family.” These songs were created for thirteen of Angelou’s poems, and include Angelou reading the poems. Maya Angelou collaborated on this album before her death in 2014.
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Music Video for "Harlem Hopscotch" — Watch a music video created for “Harlem Hopscotch.” The video includes Angelou reciting the poem, and choreography Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo (known for their work on the show “So You Think You Can Dance”). This video was included as part of the 2014 album “Caged Bird Songs,” a series of songs based on Angelou’s poems.
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Serena Williams Reading Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" — Listen to tennis legend Serena Williams read Angelou’s famous poem, “Still I Rise,” in this video created by the BBC.
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The Black Arts Movement — Learn more about the Black Arts Movement, of which Maya Angelou was a part when she wrote "Harlem Hopscotch."
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Maya Angelou
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