“Old Folks Laugh” is a short poem composed by the American poet, Maya Angelou. The poem was published as a part of her collection of poems “I Shall Not Be Moved” (1990). As suggested by the title, the poem focuses on the universal human experience of ageing and focuses upon the positive outlook and cheerful spirit of the elderly towards life and living.
Old Folks Laugh | Summary
Angelou opens the poem by stating that these old folks, who have spent most of their lives as obsequious sycophants eager to please all those around them, are now at peace with their own selves and can now be finally free from the ostentatious life they were leading. All through their youth they had to fret about behaving in a distinguished, poised manner so as to maintain their vanity in the society that they were a part of. But now that they are old, they need not control their expressions or worry about how they look as they engage in carefree fits of unadulterated laughter. They are now at liberty to express their joys whole-heartedly without any thought about what people around them might think of them. They do not care about people’s perception of them anymore, though it was a major aspect governing their expressions in their youth. Having cast away all complaints and distress, they embrace their old age with warmth and contentment.
They engage in free-spirited laughter, with their bellies squirming and wiggling as they express their unencumbered emotions in their full glory. Guffawing without any restraint, they resemble the musical instrument tambourine with their whole body rocking with their belly laugh.
Angelou then compares them to water in a vessel that spills everywhere without any restriction on its flow and says that these ageing people, in a similar manner, roar unabashedly, shedding all their inhibitions, with joy overflowing out of them unfettered and free. Such carefree laughter of old people liberates the entire world around them from gloom and despair. Their spontaneous laughter is infectious, compelling all around them to partake in their merriment as they revel in ecstasy, shooing away all traces of sadness.
It is not that they are devoid of all troubles- they too have their share of anxiety as they think about the sad and difficult times. As they look back at their life, they remember both the hard and happy times and even though the bad memories dampen their spirit for a while, they think of their best moments and put on a smile. They have an all-encompassing experience of the world and possess knowledge of both the highs and the lows of life, having seen “the best and the worst”. Despite all the trials and tribulations faced by them during the course of their life, they try to keep an optimistic attitude and continue to laugh heartily. Their happiness is real and unbridled- the corners of their mouth glisten with saliva and their heads seem to rock unsteadily on their fragile necks. Old age may have made their bodies frail, but it cannot put a damper on their soul which is still fueled by the happy memories of the life that they have lived. They cherish the past and think fondly of the years gone by. These sweet remembrances fill them with vigor and so they like to hold on to them as closely as possible.
They do not dread their approaching death and instead think of it as something “dear”. They have made their peace with life and do not hold any grudges for whatever happened with them in the past. For them old age does not signify that the end is near, rather they view it as the “promise” of a “painless death”, a quiet release from their worldly shackles. They do not regret growing old and harbor no ill feelings towards life. On the contrary, they appreciate the opportunity to be able to live the life that they have led and are thankful for all that they have experienced in the course of their life. In spite of the difficulties and challenges posed by old age, optimism and gratitude are the virtues that enable the old to welcome death with open arms and appreciate the blessing of a life well-lived.
Old Folks Laugh | Analysis
Maya Angelou explores one of the most natural phenomena of life- growing old- and presents before the readers a series of different images on the subject of ageing. Through the use of metaphors and similes she paints a beautiful picture of the elderly with their bellies jiggling like a tambourine and heads bobbling on their necks, their peals of laughter seeming to spill all over the place. The use of imagery is thus quite clever.
The poem is written in free verse without any adherence to a fixed structure or metre. The use of enjambment and short sentences lends a free flowing quality to the verse and is perfectly suited to match the playful tone used to describe the laughter of the old people. The rhythm and tempo also match their inconsistent, free laugh.
Angelou has employed metonymy in the line “When old people laugh, they free the world” where “world” alludes to the entire population of the world. The idea of “dear painless death” represented at the end is almost paradoxical as the general perception of death is usually that of something dreadful and generally unwelcome, quite unlike the endearing manner in which the poet addresses it. The impetuous act of laughing is symbolic of the way of living that should be followed by all. Just like the old rise above the pretenses of the sophisticated society that imposes limitations on one’s expression, we should all aim to live our lives on our own terms, without any fear of being judged by the world. We should follow our heart and listen to all its desires so as to live a life free of regrets and what-ifs. We waste the precious moments of our lives in trying to act in accordance with the should’s and ought’s of the society, instead of focusing on the true joys of living. A discontent man fears death but a truly content man is at ease with his old age and sees death as a dear friend.
