The American poet Maya Angelou's "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" was first published as a picture book (illustrated by the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat) in 1993. In this poem, a little girl claims that she's not the least bit frightened of—well, anything, from "panthers" to "tough guys." While her list of the things she's not frightened of might hint she's actually a little more scared than she's letting on, her bravado makes it clear that she has the courage to face her fears. This poem suggests that it takes real and admirable bravery to be a kid.
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The Full Text of “Life Doesn't Frighten Me”
The Full Text of “Life Doesn't Frighten Me”
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“Life Doesn't Frighten Me” Summary
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“Life Doesn't Frighten Me” Themes
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Children's Courage Over Fear
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-44
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Life Doesn't Frighten Me”
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Lines 1-6
Shadows on the ...
... me at all -
Lines 7-12
Mean old Mother ...
... me at all. -
Lines 13-21
I go boo ...
... me at all. -
Lines 22-27
Tough guys in ...
... me at all. -
Lines 28-32
That new classroom ...
... me at all. -
Lines 33-36
Don't show me ...
... in my dreams. -
Lines 37-40
I've got a ...
... have to breathe. -
Lines 41-44
Life doesn't frighten ...
... me at all.
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“Life Doesn't Frighten Me” Symbols
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The Magic Charm
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 37-40: “I've got a magic charm / That I keep up my sleeve, / I can walk the ocean floor / And never have to breathe.”
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“Life Doesn't Frighten Me” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Refrain
Where refrain appears in the poem:- Line 3: “Life doesn't frighten me at all”
- Line 6: “Life doesn't frighten me at all”
- Line 9: “They don't frighten me at all”
- Line 12: “That doesn't frighten me at all.”
- Line 21: “Life doesn't frighten me at all.”
- Line 24: “Life doesn't frighten me at all.”
- Line 27: “No, they don't frighten me at all.”
- Line 32: “They don't frighten me at all.”
- Line 41: “Life doesn't frighten me at all”
- Line 44: “Life doesn't frighten me at all.”
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Parallelism
Where parallelism appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “Shadows on the wall / Noises down the hall”
- Lines 4-5: “Bad dogs barking loud / Big ghosts in a cloud”
- Lines 7-8: “Mean old Mother Goose / Lions on the loose”
- Line 10: “Dragons breathing flame”
- Line 13: “I go boo”
- Line 15: “I make fun”
- Line 17: “I won't cry”
- Line 19: “I just smile”
- Line 22: “Tough guys in a fight”
- Lines 25-26: “Panthers in the park / Strangers in the dark”
- Line 28: “That new classroom where”
- Line 30: “Kissy little girls”
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Epizeuxis
Where epizeuxis appears in the poem:- Lines 42-43: “Not at all / Not at all.”
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End-Stopped Line
Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:- Line 1: “wall”
- Line 2: “hall”
- Line 3: “all”
- Line 4: “loud”
- Line 5: “cloud”
- Line 6: “all”
- Line 7: “Goose”
- Line 8: “loose”
- Line 9: “all”
- Line 12: “all.”
- Line 13: “boo”
- Line 14: “shoo”
- Line 15: “fun”
- Line 16: “run”
- Line 17: “cry”
- Line 18: “fly”
- Line 19: “smile”
- Line 20: “wild”
- Line 21: “all.”
- Line 22: “fight”
- Line 23: “night”
- Line 24: “all.”
- Line 25: “park”
- Line 26: “dark”
- Line 27: “all.”
- Line 29: “hair”
- Line 31: “curls”
- Line 32: “all.”
- Line 34: “scream”
- Line 36: “dreams.”
- Line 38: “sleeve,”
- Line 40: “breathe.”
- Line 41: “all”
- Line 42: “all”
- Line 43: “all.”
- Line 44: “all.”
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Irony
Where irony appears in the poem:- Lines 1-44
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Colloquialism
Where colloquialism appears in the poem:- Line 7: “Mean old Mother Goose”
- Lines 13-20: “I go boo / Make them shoo / I make fun / Way they run / I won't cry / So they fly / I just smile / They go wild”
- Line 22: “Tough guys in a fight”
- Lines 28-31: “That new classroom where / Boys pull all my hair / (Kissy little girls / With their hair in curls)”
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Allusion
Where allusion appears in the poem:- Line 7: “Mean old Mother Goose”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 4: “Bad,” “barking”
- Line 5: “Big”
- Line 7: “Mean,” “Mother”
- Line 8: “Lions,” “loose”
- Line 25: “Panthers,” “park”
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“Life Doesn't Frighten Me” 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.
- Counterpane
- Kissy little girls
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(Location in poem: Lines 10-11: “Dragons breathing flame / On my counterpane”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Life Doesn't Frighten Me”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Life Doesn't Frighten Me” Speaker
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“Life Doesn't Frighten Me” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Life Doesn't Frighten Me”
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More “Life Doesn't Frighten Me” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem as a Picture Book — See images from the poem in its original form as a picture book illustrated by the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
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Maya Angelou's Website — Visit Angelou's website to learn more about her life and legacy.
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to Angelou herself performing the poem.
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An Interview with Angelou — Watch a 1993 interview with Maya Angelou.
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Angelou's Obituary — Read Angelou's obituary to learn more about her life and her influence.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Maya Angelou
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