Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Equality'

'Equality' sees a speaker demand equality so that she can be "free". Arguably, the poem presents racial and gender inequality that Angelou experienced as a Black American woman. 'Equality' starts with the word "you" and we could argue that the speaker has an accusatory tone at points in the poem. Arguably, the speaker's response to the inequality she sees makes it a poem about resilience in the face of inequality. Linking quotations together when you explore a poem can make your idea more powerful.