“A Kind of Love, Some Say” Introduction

• Read the full text of “A Kind of Love, Some Say”

“A Kind of Love, Some Say” Summary

“A Kind of Love, Some Say” Themes

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  Domestic Violence and Dehumanization

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-13

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “A Kind of Love, Some Say”

• Lines 1-3

  Is it true ...
  ... Lover's fist?

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 3-8

  The bruised ...
  ... romance, but hurt.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-13

  Hate often is ...
  ... on the rack.

  

  

  

  

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“A Kind of Love, Some Say” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Irony

  

  

  

  

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  Where irony appears in the poem:

• Aporia

  

  

  

  

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  Where aporia appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-3: “Is it true the ribs can tell / The kick of a beast from a / Lover's fist?”

• Personification

  

  

  

  

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  Where personification appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-3: “the ribs can tell / The kick of a beast from a / Lover's fist?”
  • Lines 9-10: “Hate often is confused. Its / Limits are in zones beyond itself.”

• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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  Where enjambment appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-2: “tell / The”
  • Lines 2-3: “a / Lover's”
  • Lines 3-4: “bruised / Bones”
  • Lines 4-5: “well / The”
  • Lines 5-6: “the / Hard”
  • Lines 7-8: “not / Of”
  • Lines 9-10: “Its / Limits”
  • Lines 10-11: “And / Sadists”
  • Lines 11-12: “that / Love”
  • Lines 12-13: “pain / Unequalled”

“A Kind of Love, Some Say” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Sadists
• Rack

• (Location in poem: Line 11: “Sadists will not learn”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “A Kind of Love, Some Say”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“A Kind of Love, Some Say” Speaker

“A Kind of Love, Some Say” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “A Kind of Love, Some Say”

More “A Kind of Love, Some Say” Resources

• External Resources

  • An Interview with Angelou — Watch a video interview with Angelou from the CBC.

  • Angelou's Legacy — Visit a website dedicated to Angelou's life and work.

  • A Brief Biography — Read the Poetry Foundation's biography of Angelou.

  • Angelou the Survivor — Read about Angelou's own harrowing experience of domestic abuse.

  • A Portrait of Angelou — Take a look at a memorial portrait of Angelou housed in Washington, D.C.'s National Portrait Gallery.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Maya Angelou

  • Caged Bird

  • Country Lover

  • Harlem Hopscotch

  • Life Doesn't Frighten Me

  • On Aging

  • On the Pulse of Morning

  • Phenomenal Woman

  • Refusal

  • Remembrance

  • Still I Rise

  • The Traveler

  • When Great Trees Fall

  • Woman Work