Anger when someone provokes you. The pain when someone tortures you. The desire to bring justice to those who harm you. It's emotions like these that evoke the instinctive impulse to reduce our precarious sense of vulnerability when people taunt us. In the short story When I Lay My Burden Down, author Maya Angelou shows readers that there is no good reason to respond to someone whose primary motive is to taunt you, and that with will , we can resist the temptation to do so. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay When the powhitetrash get closer to mom, the main character wants to "beg her to come home with her" and doesn't understand what. Mom tries to prove it by staying outside and taking powhitetrash punches to the face. The narrator is so angered by the torment of the white children that she “goes off like a firecracker” and “thinks of the gun behind the door.” Helpless and unable to do anything about the way the white children treat her mother, the speaker feels defeated and as if "the world...has doubts about her ability to keep turning." Her inherent desire to respond to the powhitetrash is what gives authority to the powhitetrash's words and makes her "cry with rage." In contrast, Momma "turns to stone" and "never turns her head or unfolds her arms" in response to powhitetrash. mocking. At this point, it becomes clear that Mom's silent defiance is her way of deflecting the children's insults and is what caused her to win "whatever competition was ahead." The society in which the characters live does not allow black people to actively oppose white people. If Mom had responded to the kids' teasing, she would have inadvertently reinforced the powhitetrash's words by giving them the response they wanted and, in turn, would have helped reinforce their ill-mannered behavior that needs to change. The powhitetrash draws Momma into an unwinnable verbal duel, as he offers them the perverse gratification of putting their controversial predilections into practice. They are fully aware of their advantage against the blacks, and mother, by reacting to their torments, would have shown them that their behavior would maximize their chances and give them what they want. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayAs the main character narrates his experience and thoughts as he struggles to understand his mother's way of dealing with segregation and injustice, the mind of readers is open to how resistance and willpower are the keys to overcoming life's difficulties. . When you can overcome adversity, you can win against all odds, just like mom did..