In her colorful short story entitled “The Reunion,” African American poet and philanthropist Maya Angelou portrays an African American woman’s pride in it’s prime. The story is set in 1958 in a jazz nightclub. The main character and narrator is a female African American jazz pianist named Philomena Jenkins. One day, Philomena sees a wealthy white woman by the name of Miss Beth Ann Baker, with whom she is well acquainted with. The sight of Beth Ann causes Philomena to relive painful and distasteful memories of her childhood as her parents were servants of the Bakers before the abolishment of slavery. The language within the text begins with some colorful language and upbeat tone. However, towards the end, it is embedded with hostile words, which then gives off an aggressive tone towards the end of the story. The word choice and diction throughout the story, coupled with metaphors and irony, gives it a more urbanized feel as the reader progresses. 

There was something peculiar about the story right from the beginning. The story is entitled The Reunion. That aspect by itself provides an expectation that some impactful characters will be brought forth and will reminiscence moments of the past and want to relive those same memories. However, the opening dialogue of the story portrays irony, thus dismissing this expectation. When Philomena states Beth Ann’s “blue eyes got as big as her black ones,” it is shown that the narrator as well as her counterpart both were more stunned than anything (Angelou). It is concluding that the encounter was more accidental rather than intentional as reunions typically are. From here, the reader can defer that from the start, Philomena is not fond of Beth and was someone she had no interest in encountering ever again. She had wanted nothing more to do with her former owner as she is symbol of what her life used to be and the many hardships she and her family had to endure and escape the “hurt Georgia [has] put on [her]” from being a slave (Angelou).

The language is rich and portrayed in an urban fashion. It develops a distinctive mood through thoughts and articulated with abundant metaphors and simple expressions much like African American music. With the use of such language, it not only depicts the text in a distinctive urban style, but also helps to develop Angelou’s ironic purposes. Such instances where Philomena expressed how proud she was of her face for “jump[ing] up and walk the bar” when Beth told her she was engaged to marry a black man, portrays those very metaphors and shows off Angelou’s dynamic linguistics as well as her cultural tendencies. Metaphors are vastly used in African American works, specifically in music. It is a way to assist in making the piece more applicable to the audience.

Maya Angelou’s portrayal of Philomena is shown as passionate, yet steadfast, making her an authentic character which many can relate to. In the story’s last lines, “The piano keys were slippery with tears. I know, I sure as Hell wasn’t crying for myself” (Angelou). Like many African American artists, Maya Angelou expresses herself through art, and in her case in the form of literature. This expression is a creative approach of rising above the countless social discriminations that society has set forth upon African Americans. It is here she portrays Philomena expressing herself in her form of art, which is jazz music. By doing so, Angelou displays the comprehension of dynamics human nature and its lively characteristics. When Philomena makes the statement “Good-bye Beth. Tell your parents I said go to Hell and take you with them just for company,” she stresses how sturdily and unwavering her feelings are about the past between the two individuals (Angelou). It is at this point where the reader accepts Philomena as a realistic individual, thus understands why she is adamant in the way she resents the wrongs she has suffered and why she feels she owes nothing to her former “white and rich and spoiled” oppressor. Philomena’s diction and word choices may seem a bit extreme, however as the reader understands the past of the character, it becomes clear why Angelou’s word choices were necessary. This diction drives home the feeling of frustration by African Americans for their history. 

When reading this story, it is important to understand the significance of the jazz genre throughout the text and the relationship it has with the main character. The article I discovered, Sherrie Tucker’s "Where the Blues and the Truth Lay Hiding: Rememory of Jazz in Black Women's Fiction,” delves intricately into the importance of African American women in jazz music. It expresses the emphasis on the idea that African American women are not thoroughly recognized when it comes to the genre of jazz music. Tucker emphasizes the use of jazz assists the authors to “access feelings which are verbally inexpressible” (Tucker). In doing so, they build connections between their personal situations, as well as historical conditions and create a stronger connection amongst the black public (Tucker). The fact that jazz and religious music by African Americans hold solid influences between one another forms an even greater feel in blacks voicing their emotions. For the narrator Philomena, Beth’s presence seemed to enable her finding “the places between the keys where the blues and the truth lay hiding” (Angelou). As Philomena identifies with the distress the song brings, the musical notes of the song merge with her understanding of how these realities have shaped her life, as well as her music.

To understand the narrator, one must understand who the author of the story is. Maya Angelou, the author of the short story, is a female African American poet, philanthropist, and civil rights activist. She is well renowned for her works of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” In many of her stories, she portrays the protagonist as an African American woman who has endured much pain, obstacles, and frustration to overcome harsh conditions, much like herself. Pierre Walker in his article Racial Protest, Identity, Words, and Form in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, goes in depth of how Angelou expresses the notion of taking the high road during times of racial discrepancies in her literature. He emphasizes her more “effective ways to reacting to racism…a strategy of subtle resistance (Walker). Though Philomena’s way was not to subtle, the rage that she felt was taken out in her music and the passion she brought with it.  

Maya Angelou’s protagonist embodies a survivor’s mentality in full force. She is the standard black female artist who has fought to overcome daunting social obstacles. In this process, Philomena has risen to achieve oneness with herself as a human being. Through adversity, she gains a greater appreciation for her talent. The narrator comes to the self-realization that she has the power of music and experienced a form of resolution with herself, in the recognition that art can outdo racial and social inequity. Though Philomena’s painful childhood cannot be forgotten, she has her music to uplift her and others like her to higher plane above discrimination and prejudice.  
