"Lady Luncheon Club" Explication

Maya Angelou uses irony to criticize both the women who are self-absorbed and think about their own petty problems and men who stereotype women. The first line of the poem has a sarcastic tone because the ladies do not seem enthusiastic about the woman's counsel, which is merely accepted, or seem to listen to her advice frequently. The times are literally grave because the man speaks about murder and unemployment, but this could also mean the times are grave because the ladies are taking the woman's advice. They call their cash account petty and complain about the food, but their lives are significantly better than those in the man talk. Angelou uses irony of the situation because the women are paying the man to make them think during the lecture, but they are not paying attention to him. They would rather think about the dessert and when he will leave. The man himself is not interested in his own lecture. He must summon sincerity like calling a pet before he speaks, so he is acting rather than being truly passionate about the topic. It is ironic that the man says he understands females, which he likens to Eve who was tempted by the devil and Delilah who deceived Samson leading to his downfall. He believes in the stereotype that all women are dishonest and a bad influence on men. However, in this poem, the women at the luncheon are not very moral because while the man describes the horrible conditions and deaths, they are only concerned about themselves. They do not even react to hearing about the rape of a young girl. Since these women are having a luncheon, they are probably wealthy. They are selfish and only consider their own boredom, while there are people who are jobless and drunk in the streets. There is no relief for them in the mornings, unlike the women who are gathered together at the luncheon.