Champion of the World by: Maya Angelo

The story described a scene where a group of African-Americans came together at a small town store to listen to the Joe Louis boxing match. I really enjoyed reading Champion of the World by Maya Angelo because the elements of the story really drew me in. During a time when it seemed that everyone was against them, it was refreshing to see them sticking together. When I read through the story there was a tone of unity that was felt and made me want to keep reading. For example, when Joe Louis gets behind in the fight, Maya describes the thoughts of everyone in the room saying, “We didn't breathe. We didn't hope. We wanted." This quote perfectly symbolizes that even though it was only Joe Louis in the fight that the entire African-American community was with him. Therefore this quote shows the overall theme of togetherness against adversity. Additionally, it was touching that after the win by Joe Louis the African-Americans still hadn't won. Joe Louis winning the fight symbolized African-Americans beating the "white man" and gaining equality among the races. Therefore, when Maya said, “It wouldn't do for a Black man and his family to be caught on a lonely country road on a night when Joe Louis had proved that we were the strongest people in the world", it was attention grabbing. This quote grabbed my attention because it turned a very fanciful moment into a realistic one where despite the win by Joe Louis, far and square, it was never going to change any of their circumstances. In conclusion, the story as a whole held my attention and allowed me to feel emotions and see the environment in which the African-Americans came together at.